Country: Nigeria City: Akure Ground: Akure Township Stadium (15,000) Nickname: The Agagu Boys – The Mimiko Boys Coach: Gbenga Ogunbote A background The club was founded in 1995 by the governor of Ondo State, six years before securing promotion to the top flight for the first time in 2001. The Agagu Boys started from scratch as they began with the defunct Professional Division Three League in 1995 and now they are the only top-flight team to have played in all tiers of Nigeria's professional class. Considered one of the yo-yo teams in Nigeria, Stars went down again before returning to the Nigeria Premier League a few years ago to achieve their best-ever position in 2011. They finished runners-up to Dolphins in the Nigeria Premier League, only five years after making their second top-flight appearance.
Omotoyossi started at Stars The same year also witnessed another huge progress for the Akure-based side, who booked a semi-final berth in the African Confederation Cup on their continental debut. A year later, Stars managed to take Africa by storm once again after marching their way into the semis against all odds. They were helped by some good fortune though as their main group rivals Etoile Sahel were disqualified from the competition following crowd trouble. Man to watch: Izu Azuka Azuka is Stars' top scorer with five goals in the Champions League so far this season, hitting four in the competition's preliminary rounds plus another against Algeria's Chlef in the last eight. The 23-year-old came through the youth ranks of Nigerian side Sharks before joining Algeria's JS Kabylie followed by a short stint at Ittihad Tripoli. He then switched to Stars at the end of last year and his increasingly-impressive displays earned him a move to African champions Esperance next January. Azuka, who has only played for the the Nigeria U-23s, is a skillful attacking midfielder with a quality left-foot and a talent that will surely see him in the Super Eagles squad sooner or later. Interesting fact: Trophy-less! -Stars are the only side in the Champions League last eight who have never tasted silverware, having qualified as league runners-up. -Another interesting fact is that Zamalek and Benin striker Razak Omotoyossi started his professional career as a Sunshine Stars youngster.
