At 19, Nigerian attacking midfielder Mubarak Suleiman started for Slavia Prague against Fenerbahçe in the Champions League, the first time a Nigerian teenager has done so since winger Alex Iwobi in March 2016.
Mubarak Suleiman was named in SK Slavia Prague’s starting line-up for their Champions League trip to Fenerbahçe on Tuesday 20 October 2026, Foot Africa reports. At 19, the Nigerian attacking midfielder becomes the first teenager from his country to start a Champions League match since March 2016.
The previous case belonged to Alex Iwobi, then at Arsenal and named in the starting XI against FC Barcelona at Camp Nou on 16 March 2016 in the second leg of the round of 16, according to the OptaJoe statistic relayed by Foot Africa. That night, the Gunners lost 3-1.
A number 15 developed in Nigeria
Born on 13 April 2007 in Nigeria, according to Transfermarkt and Wikipedia, Suleiman wears the number 15 shirt at Slavia Prague. He arrived in Czechia in the summer of 2025. He came through Final Touch FA, then the Right2win Soccer Academy in Abuja, before joining the Prague club, according to Wikipedia. He extended his contract until 30 June 2031 in September 2026, according to the same source.
His start in Istanbul did not come out of nowhere. On 13 October, he had made his debut in the competition, coming on in the 62nd minute of the 2-0 defeat at Sabah FK, according to Foot Africa. A week later, he went from the bench to the starting XI for a far more high-profile occasion.
Fenerbahçe lead, Suleiman learns
The context is demanding for Slavia’s men. In the 33rd minute, Fenerbahçe led 2-1 at home, according to Foot Africa.
For a 19-year-old attacking midfielder, it is an advanced test: the atmosphere of a Turkish stadium, the intensity of a European duel and an opponent already ahead on the scoreboard.
A Nigerian pipeline at Slavia
Suleiman is not an isolated case in the Prague squad. Defender Samuel Kelechi Isife and player Emmanuel Ayaosi, two other Nigerians, are also there, Foot Africa indicates. Plenty of familiar faces for a player who arrived in Czechia just over a year ago.
Slavia’s next fixture: at home to FK Mladá Boleslav in the Chance Liga on Saturday 24 October 2026.