Senegalese teenager Moussa Ndiaye completed a major move after joining Spanish giants Barcelona from Aspire Academy, which has a satellite branch in Senegal, for a reported fee of about €500,000.
The 18-year-old joins the Catalan club on a on a three-year deal with the option of a two-year extension.
Ndiaye will link up with the club’s reserve side, Barcelona B, which plays in Segunda División B for the upcoming season. Barcelona already has another Senegalese player in its books: defender Moussa Wagué.
Ndiaye took to social media to express his happiness at joining the 26-time Spanish champions.
“An honour and great pride to join a club as prestigious as Barcelona, work continues,” he wrote on Instagram.
Ndiaye has so far had a successful stint representing his country helping it achieve a number of honours. He was part of the team which finished as runners-up at the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in Niger last year and also picked up the Player of the Tournament award.
He also featured for Senegal as it hosted and won the WAFU Nations Cup for the first time in October last year. Ndiaye was named man of the match in the final which Senegal defeated Ghana 3-1 on penalties.
In recognition of his sterling performances, Ndiaye was nominated for the 2019 CAF Youth Player of the Year award bit lost out to Moroccan Achraf Hakimi.
Ndiaye will look to follow in the footsteps of other Africans who shone at the club such as Samuel Etoo of Cameroon, Yaya Toure of Côte d’Ivoire and Seydou Keita of Mali.
