Madrid CFF's youth team is where Spain midfielder and European Golden Girl 2024 Vicky Lopez kick-started her career, and it is also where Singapore's Nur Ain Salleh hopes to launch her journey to become a professional footballer.
After short training stints in Spain with the junior girls team of Atletico Madrid in 2022 and 2023, the 14-year-old right winger has been awarded the Unleash the Roar! (UTR) overseas football scholarship and she will spend the next four years training and playing with Madrid CFF's youth side.
The club's senior team is 10th in the 16-team Liga F, Spain's top-tier women's professional league.
Ain told The Straits Times that her earlier stints made her realise the high technical and physical standards she needed to reach to make it as a pro.
She said: "It was way tougher (there). Technically, they were quick and physical. It was a few levels up from what I have become used to here.
"It motivated me to really do my best in Singapore and try to earn a chance to go back to Spain for longer stints because I want to step up my game and go far in this sport."
This story is from the January 04, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the January 04, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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