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Golden Eaglets goals machine, Success Isaac has signed a five-year deal with Italian Seria A side Udinese. The player himself made the confirmation of the deal in a chat with News Express on Friday morning. “It is true that I have signed for Udinese,” Isaac said on phone from Calabar, the Cross River State capital, where the Eaglets are currently training in preparation for the forth-coming FIfA Under-17 World Cup.

Earlier in the week, Kenneth Imana, assistant coach of BJ FC, the Benin, Edo State-based grassroots club Isaac had been playing for, informed News Express exclusively that a deal had been struck between his team and Udinese for Isaac’s services. He said: “Though I can’t disclose the transfer fee involved, I can confirm that Success Isaac is now an Udinese player after agreeing personal terms with them. He will however spend some time on loan in Granada in the Spanish League.”

A close friend of Isaac who craved anonymity says that the transfer cost Udinese 1.8 million Euros (about 450 million naira). He added that BJ got about 94 million naira.

Success Isaac becomes the latest in a clutch of young talented players who have graduated from amateur outfit, BJFC into big European clubs. The duo of Super Eagles Victor Moses of Chelsea England and Elderson Echiejile of FC Braga in Portugal are others who once played for BJ FC. Yet others are Stanley ‘Little Messi’ Okoro (Almeria, Spain) and Ndubuisi Agu (FC Porto, Portugal).

BJ are one of the best run grassroots clubs in Nigeria. They have participated in, and won several local and international football competitions in the past few years, including a Dana Cup triumph in 2000 in Hjorring, Denmark.

•Photo shows Success Isaac.

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