Nigerian attacking midfielder Michel Babatunde joins Abahani Ltd in Bangladesh

Nigeria international Michel Babatunde has joined Abahani Ltd on a free transfer, adding a vastly experienced attacking midfielder to the Bangladesh Football League club’s squad.

The 33-year-old, who was born in Lagos, completed the move on 27 August 2026 after becoming a free agent. His most recent club was Albania’s KF Pogradeci, whom he left in January.

Babatunde has played across several leagues during a career that has taken him from Nigeria to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. He began his senior career with FC Heartland before moving to Ukraine, where he represented Kryvbas, Volyn Lutsk and Dnipro.

He later moved to Morocco, joining Raja Casablanca on a free transfer from Dnipro in December 2015. In July 2016, Qatar SC signed him from Raja Casablanca for €1.1m, the only recorded transfer fee of his career. Babatunde then returned to Morocco with Wydad Casablanca in 2018 on a free transfer.

The midfielder made a significant contribution during his time in Morocco. He won the Moroccan championship twice with Wydad, in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons.

Babatunde subsequently played for KF Laci in Albania and Mash’al Mubarek in Uzbekistan. He helped Mash’al win the Uzbek second tier in the 2023-24 season, before leaving the club in January 2025. He returned to club football with KF Pogradeci in September 2025 and departed four months later.

His career record includes 48 Botola Pro appearances, with 15 goals and 17 assists, while he has also made 82 appearances in Poland’s Premier Liga, scoring six goals and providing five assists. He has featured in the CAF Champions League, Europa League and Uefa Europa Conference League qualifying.

A left-footed attacking midfielder standing 1.79m tall, Babatunde now takes his next career step with Abahani Ltd. The move was completed on a free transfer on 27 August 2026.