Nigeria: Barcelona take search for next Lamine Yamal to Bayelsa

Spanish giants FC Barcelona have taken another major step in their African expansion after signing an agreement with the Bayelsa State Government to establish a football academy in Yenagoa, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed during the final of the 2026 Prosperity Cup at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex, where thousands of supporters gathered to watch one of Nigeria’s biggest grassroots football competitions conclude in colourful fashion.

The proposed academy will initially begin as the Bayelsa Starlets Academy before potentially becoming a full Barça Academy within the next one to two years if required standards are met. The project is expected to focus on player development, coaching education, referee training and football administration.

Bayelsa governor Douye Diri believes the partnership can transform opportunities for young people across the Niger Delta, especially in communities where football remains one of the strongest routes to social mobility.

“On assuming office, we saw the Governor’s Football Tournament as a tool for youth engagement, development and empowerment,” Gov Diri said as per the Punch. “So we wasted no time in investing in and expanding it.

“Last year, more than 100 teams participated, but in this year’s edition, there were 227 teams and we also introduced the female and para categories. Almost every club in the world now has a female team. We had 21 female teams in this edition and it is still developing.”

The final itself reflected the scale of the tournament. Okoroma claimed the men’s title and received N40 million in prize money, while Akinima Biogbo earned N13 million as runners-up. In the women’s category, Active Ladies of Agudama defeated defending champions Afini Ladies of Amarata 1-0 to win N10 million.

Diri also used the occasion to restate his government’s commitment to sports infrastructure, including plans for a 30,000-capacity stadium expected to be completed in 2027.

Barcelona’s growing footprint in Nigeria and Africa

The Bayelsa agreement is not Barcelona’s first major investment in Nigerian football. The club already operates the Barça Academy Lagos, which was launched in 2016 as the first permanent Barça Academy in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Based at facilities including the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, the academy trains boys and girls between the ages of five and 18 using the same possession-based philosophy associated with the club’s famous La Masia system in Spain.

Several youth camps organised by Barcelona in Nigeria over the past decade have attracted thousands of young players, while coaches from the club have regularly travelled to the country to identify talent and conduct development programmes.

Earlier in 2026, Barcelona scouts returned to Yenagoa for a talent identification programme involving players aged between 17 and 21, a move that helped lay the groundwork for the latest partnership.

The club’s African network has also expanded steadily in recent years, with permanent academies in Cairo, Rabat, Casablanca and Lusaka, alongside short-term training camps held in countries such as Ghana and South Africa.

Former Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick believes Bayelsa could become another important talent centre for the Spanish side.

According to him, “The display by the players in this final is very encouraging and FC Barcelona would not need to look anywhere else for the likes of Lamine Yamal or Messi. There are too many Yamals in Bayelsa and the Niger Delta. I am happy that the NFF is also here.”

Barcelona representatives were equally impressed by what they witnessed during the tournament. Club delegate Garris said the organisation had already noticed the quality of football talent in the state and expressed a desire to return regularly to support player and coach development.