For years, the V Sports vision has centred on one belief: Africa possesses the greatest untapped footballing talent in the world. While much of that strategy has understandably focused on identifying emerging senior players capable of strengthening clubs across the network, the long-term ambition has always stretched much further than the transfer market. The next phase of the project is now beginning to emerge. Across the continent, our expanded youth scouting department is identifying talented players at increasingly younger ages, allowing us to recruit them before they become established names in their domestic academies. Rather than paying premium fees once a player has already broken into senior football, V Sports is investing in development from the very beginning. The Class of 2028 represents another significant milestone in that journey. Six outstanding teenagers from six different African nations have joined academies across the V Sports Network, giving Aston Villa, Vitória SC, Annecy and Real Unión another wave of exciting talent to nurture. While there is still a long road ahead for every player, the objective is clear. If our academy recruitment continues to improve year after year, it will gradually reduce the pressure placed on first-team recruitment. Instead of continually searching the market for the next hidden gem, the network can begin producing its own. It is exactly the model that Europe’s elite clubs have perfected over decades. Now V Sports intends to do it across an entire multi-club network.
Building for the Future
One of the biggest successes of the African Project has been proving that elite talent can be identified before the rest of Europe notices.
Players such as Moussa Samba, Mouhamed Diop and Emile Witbooi have already demonstrated what happens when outstanding scouting combines with patient development. All three have become NXGN Top 50 wonderkids after arriving for relatively modest fees through the V Sports scouting network. The next challenge is making those success stories even cheaper. By identifying players before they are fifteen and sixteen years old, the network gains several extra years to develop technical ability, physical attributes and tactical understanding within a shared V Sports philosophy before they ever reach senior football. Every academy now teaches the same principles. One Identity. One Way of Playing. One Pathway. With multiple clubs offering different competitive levels, every youngster has a realistic development route rather than being rushed into senior football before they are ready. The Class of 2028 may be young, but every one of them has been selected because they possess elite characteristics that simply cannot be coached. Bravery. Determination. Work ethic. Character. Everything else can be developed.
Ibrahim N’Guessan
Aston Villa | Wing Back
Age: 16
Nationality: Ivory Coast
The jewel of Aston Villa’s intake is an incredibly fearless Ivorian full-back whose mentality immediately catches the eye. With Great Bravery, Work Rate and Teamwork, Ibrahim already possesses the attitude coaches dream of working with. He may still be physically immature, but his willingness to compete, recover possession and support teammates gives him an exceptional platform for development. His attacking potential is equally intriguing. Strong dribbling, solid crossing and impressive tackling suggest a modern wing-back capable of affecting both sides of the game. Villa’s academy has produced outstanding full-backs in recent years, and Ibrahim could well become the next project to graduate through the system before eventually progressing elsewhere within the V Sports network.
Foster Amofa
Vitória SC | Centre Defender
Age: 16
Nationality: Ghana
Every successful defence is built around leadership. That is exactly what Vitória believe they have found in Foster Amofa. The young Ghanaian immediately stands out because of his astonishing Bravery, an attribute rarely seen in players so young. Combined with good Marking and Positioning, Foster already shows many of the defensive instincts coaches cannot easily teach. Standing over six feet tall with a strong physical frame still developing, he looks every inch the future commanding centre-half. His passing still requires significant improvement, but V Sports have never hidden their preference for developing defensive fundamentals first before refining technical ability later. If Foster continues progressing physically, he has every chance of becoming the defensive leader of this academy generation.
Jokceleny Silva
Vitória SC | Wing Back
Age: 15
Nationality: São Tomé & Príncipe
One of the most exciting aspects of the V Sports scouting network is its willingness to search markets that larger European clubs often ignore. São Tomé & Príncipe is one such example. Jokceleny Silva may only be fifteen, but his technical ceiling immediately attracted scouts. With good Technique, Agility and Balance, he possesses the smooth athletic profile needed to become an attacking modern full-back. Unlike many young defenders, Jokceleny appears naturally comfortable in possession and enjoys driving forward with the ball. His defensive awareness will need refinement, but his raw technical ability makes him one of the most exciting long-term projects entering the Vitória academy.
Aboubacar Touré
Annecy | Goalkeeper
Age: 15
Nationality: Guinea
Elite goalkeepers remain one of the most difficult profiles to recruit in modern football. Annecy believe they may have found one before anyone else noticed. The young Guinean already demonstrates exceptional natural shot-stopping ability, boasting good Handling, Punching and Reflexes despite only being fifteen years old. Goalkeepers often develop later than outfield players, making early recruitment even more valuable. Rather than searching for experienced replacements every few seasons, Annecy now have the opportunity to develop Touré patiently within their own system. His decision-making and personality still require considerable work, but the raw foundations are already present. The V Sports coaching staff believe they have acquired one of the most naturally gifted young goalkeepers currently available in West Africa.
Mohamed Chibani
Real Unión | Centre Defender
Age: 15
Nationality: Algeria
Real Unión continue to strengthen their reputation as one of the network’s most important development clubs. Their latest addition is Algerian defender Mohamed Chibani. Already possessing good Tackling, Strength and Positioning, Chibani looks perfectly suited to becoming an aggressive central defender capable of thriving in Spanish football. His reading of defensive situations remains ahead of many players his age, while his physical profile suggests significant room for further development.
The coaching staff see him as a long-term defensive project rather than someone expected to develop quickly. Given time, he possesses many of the characteristics needed to become another outstanding graduate from the Basque academy.
Mahdi Rouhi
Real Unión | Striker
Age: 15
Nationality: Morocco
Goalscorers are football’s most valuable currency. Finding one at fifteen years old is even more valuable. Mahdi Rouhi arrives from Morocco with perhaps the most naturally exciting attacking profile in this intake. His combination of Determination, Finishing and Heading immediately stood out to V Sports scouts. While still physically slight, Rouhi already demonstrates the instincts of a penalty-box striker, consistently finding dangerous areas and showing impressive composure in front of goal. His mentality also suggests he possesses the resilience needed to maximise his potential over the coming years. The challenge now is developing his movement, intelligence and physical strength without losing the instinctive goalscoring ability that first attracted the scouting department.
A New Chapter for the African Project
The Class of 2028 represents something bigger than six academy signings. It represents proof that the V Sports recruitment model is evolving. The network is no longer simply reacting to the market by identifying talented senior players before rivals.
Instead, it is beginning to create its own production line. Every academy signing increases the possibility that future first-team stars will already belong to V Sports before the wider football world even knows their names. Not every player introduced today will become a first-team regular. Some will stall. Some will move elsewhere. Some may never make senior football. But history tells us only one success story is needed to justify an entire academy class. If even one member of the Class of 2028 follows the pathway established by players like Moussa Samba, Mouhamed Diop or Emile Witbooi, the investment will have paid for itself many times over. The African Project has always been about seeing talent before everyone else. Now, it is becoming about developing it before everyone else too.
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