For Nur Muhammad Asis, life in Portugal begins bright and early. At 7am, the 20-year-old gets up, washes up, and prepares for a day dedicated to football. By 7.50 am, he is already at the training ground, fueled by a healthy breakfast of oatmeal, milk, fruits, and bananas.
Training sessions at Primeira Liga side C.F. Estrela da Amadora are rigorous, often combining fieldwork with gym activations that can last another one to two hours. Post-training, the team sits down together for lunch, where they adhere to a strict diet — spaghetti with minced beef, or rice with beef and salad, all prepared without gravy.
Away from the training ground, Asis resides in a cosy apartment in Odivelas, sharing the space with two teammates — one American and one Mexican. Their downtime often involves chatting or playing video games, a comforting routine that balances the intensity of football life. For Asis, the presence of halal food options in the neighbourhood has made adjusting to life abroad significantly easier.
It has been six months since Asis left the Lion City Sailors and embarked on a 10,000-kilometre journey to Portugal to join Estrela on a one-year loan. Now fully settled into his new environment, Asis — the first Singaporean in history to sign a professional football contract with a top-flight club in Portugal — has embraced not only the demands of European football, but also the unique experiences of living in a foreign country.
However, the attacking midfielder had to be patient in the early stages of his time in Portugal, as registration issues kept him sidelined for the opening matches of Estrela’s Under-23s. Even after those were resolved, Asis had to bide his time for his first official appearance for the club, while still training primarily with the B team during pre-season.
Though Asis was eager to get on the pitch and showcase his abilities, he knew he had to stay disciplined and keep working hard to prove to the coach that he had truly adapted to Portuguese football.
“It took some time to adjust to a new environment, especially since I was facing a step up in the level of football compared to what I was used to in Singapore,” Asis admitted. “Of course, I was hoping to get game time earlier, but I knew I had to stay patient and trust the process.”
To help him regain match fitness and confidence, the decision was made to push Asis into the Under-21s, where he played a handful of games, often as the captain. Those matches proved crucial in building his self-belief, and on 28 September, Asis finally made his debut for Estrela’s Under-23s, when he came on as a late substitute in a 1-0 Liga Revelação victory over Benfica.
That moment marked a turning point for the Sailors Academy graduate, as he began to establish himself within the team. On 26 November, in his fourth appearance for Estrela’s Under-23s, Asis earned his first start — a game that would prove to be a defining one.
Deployed on the right wing, Asis delivered an outstanding performance – providing two brilliant assists for fellow wide attacker Simão Pedro – to help his side secure a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Estoril Praia’s Under-23s.
“I was so excited when I found out I was going to start the game,” Asis recounted. “It was going to be against the team at the top of the table, and I didn’t know what to expect. Fortunately, I managed to stay calm and focused and ended up with two assists to my name.”
One of Asis’s fondest memories so far was meeting Portuguese football legend Nani during his first week at Estrela – the former Manchester United star was doing recovery work while watching the B team take on the first team in an internal friendly.
Picking up the native language has also been a significant boost for Asis. He candidly refers to the Duolingo app as his “best friend” in this process. Terms like “Passa bola” (pass the ball), “extremo direta” (right wing), and “vai” (go) have quickly become part of his growing Portuguese vocabulary.
“I’ve picked up quite a bit since I first arrived here. My roommate understands Portuguese, so he translates for me whenever the coach is giving instructions. That’s how I started learning, and now I can manage small conversations in the language,” he revealed.
Asis has already gained numerous valuable lessons in his few months in Portugal.
“What really helped me develop a better overall understanding of the game here is being aware of my surroundings and to think quickly on the pitch,” Asis shared.
“There are times where I have to be very quick when the ball gets to me. Compared to my previous position in Singapore, I’ve been playing a slightly different role here – more like an inverted winger. This experience has exposed me to new techniques and approaches, and has helped me grow as a player.”
To date, Asis has made seven appearances in the Liga Revelação, and Estrela Sporting Director José Faria has expressed satisfaction with the progress the Singaporean youngster has shown so far.
“Asis is a very respectful individual with great qualities and top-level commitment to his work. He has a lot of potential, but he needs to keep working hard and adapting further because the Portuguese league is very demanding if he wants to make it to the first team one day,” said Faria.
“One area the coaches are focusing on with Asis is his physical development, as there are many physically imposing players here. He has good game knowledge and can compete, but defensively it’s very tough here, and there’s not much space to exploit. He’ll need to learn how to cope with that aspect.”
After a short Christmas break back in Singapore, Asis returned to Portugal at the start of 2025, ready to push for further breakthroughs, with the Liga Revelação entering the playoffs. While a red card from last year resulted in a three-game suspension that has delayed his start to the year, Asis is eager to get back onto the pitch and make an impact for Estrela.
The young midfielder remains determined to keep flying the Singapore flag high, and hopes to earn an extension to his initial one-year loan deal with the club.
“Looking back, I’m happy to have come through my struggles in the first couple of months, but I also know I have to do more to show people why I’m here,” he said.
“My main goal is to win the Championship with the club, but I also want to keep improving — start more games, make more key contributions like assists or goals, and hopefully earn a call-up to the Singapore national team.”
The support from back home has also been a constant source of motivation for Asis. “There’ve been people sending me encouraging messages since I’ve been here. One of them said something like, ‘It’s proud to have an orang Melayu representing Singapore abroad.’ These things motivate me, and I don’t want to stop here,” he added.