Junior Ndiaye, a notable naturalized star that the UAE is bringing to the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship - Photo: AFC
Among the starting lineup that the UAE U23 team fielded in their final Group B match against Syria, there were as many as three players of African origin.
Those players were striker Junior Ndiaye, midfielder Solomon Sosu, and defender Richard Akonnor. All three played quite well, contributing to their team's achievement of advancing to the next round.
Among them, Ndiaye is the most notable, having scored the opening goal in the UAE U23 team's 2-0 victory over Qatar. At just 20 years old, Ndiaye has already secured a crucial role at Montpellier, a club currently playing in the French Ligue 2 (second division), after being relegated from Ligue 1 last season.
Ndiaye is the son of former French footballer of Senegalese descent, Samba Ndiaye. He also had a stint with the French U17 team, scoring two goals in six appearances.
But then, at the age of 19, Ndiaye chose UAE citizenship. He followed in the footsteps of many Brazilian and African stars in the national team.
This is the result of a naturalization strategy that has astonished the football world. During the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, at one point the UAE called up more than 10 naturalized players, with 8 of them being Brazilian.
And unlike Indonesia, these players have absolutely no blood relation to the UAE.
This naturalization strategy was started by the UAE about 10 years ago, when their clubs massively bought Brazilian players in their 20s. The goal was that after 5 years, all these players would be eligible for UAE citizenship.
It's an overly cumbersome strategy, and money is indispensable. Most of the current Brazilian-born stars in the UAE, such as Caio Lucas, Canedo, and Fabio Lima, earn over $1 million per year in the UAE, not including signing bonuses.
They have also been playing football in the UAE for the past 10 years. And of course, to select the best players, the UAE had to conduct a large-scale recruitment drive, buying hundreds of players like that over the past 10 years.
While perhaps not on the same scale as China, UAE football has also spent billions of dollars on its naturalization strategy.
And that's what coach Kim Sang Sik and his team are facing: a squad of naturalized stars, with speed machines, strong, tall players from Africa.
Back to the topic
HUY DANG
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/doi-thu-cua-u23-viet-nam-o-tu-ket-la-ong-vua-nhap-tich-2026011403153517.htm
Comment (0)