Raheem Moyinoluwa Salaudeen: A Future Eagle Soaring Higher And Higher  

MICHAEL AKINOLA 

Since he broke out in 2023 as the youngest player to play in the Nigeria National League One, NLO, at age 13, Raheem Salaudeen’s growth and development in the game has been phenomenal. 

The Buruj FC young football talent was never in doubt as he has two consecutive seasons in the NLO and yet he is under 15.

He was able to impress in the field of older men playing in the league and no surprises when the handlers of the Future Super Eagles, the Nigeria U15 National Team, scouted and handed him a call up into the team as there is no hiding place for a gold fish in the pond.

A diamond shines, no matter what; Raheem is the embodiment of raw football talents which his early exposure to the basics of the game through Buruj Football Academy is aiding his flight up the ladder of development.

His ability to play anywhere in the attack makes him so versatile as his understanding of the game is far above his age.

The 14-year old youngster, who loves Manchester City and Barcelona FC due to the unwavering love for Pep Guardiola’s coaching style, possess the ability to drift wide on either side of the flanks exploring the channels as a wonderful asset.

His excellent skill of picking out strikers with effective passes in good position, makes him a good player playing in the hole behind two strikers in a 4-3-1-2 formation while his quick turning and shooting skills make him dangerous in the box, which is an asset he loves to explore when he plays behind the lone  striker upfront in 4-2-3-1 formation.

Though Raheem loves to wear the jersey number 10 jersey, he is a midfielder you can bank on when he loses the ball to fight back and regain it.

He loves to drop deep to defend his team when the need arises, which underlines his tactical awareness of the game.

He has eyes for goals and is a delight to watch with good control of the ball. To him, first touch is everything and Raheem is very dangerous when he is flight going forward, evading defenders with ease as he uses his speed to maximum advantage.

The hugely talented youngster is fairly good with his dribbling and shooting skills. Certainly, the sky is the starting point for the future Super Eagles player.