Nigeria's Babatunde, who once faced Messi's Argentina at the World Cup, signs for Abahani

Nigerian winger Michael Babatunde, who once lined up against Lionel Messi's Argentina at the 2014 World Cup, has signed for Bangladeshi giants Abahani Limited ahead of the 2026-27 season, the club confirmed on Thursday.

Abahani's football manager, Shahid Uddin Swapan, confirmed the 33-year-old's arrival, calling it a coup for a club that had spent much of the transfer window battling a FIFA-imposed ban before finally assembling its squad.

Babatunde's World Cup pedigree stretches back to Brazil 2014, where he featured in Nigeria's group-stage campaign.

He played 75 minutes in a defeat to Bosnia before starting against Argentina, a match remembered for Messi's early opener.

Nigeria hit back within a minute through Ahmed Musa, with Babatunde credited with the assist, before Argentina eventually won the contest 3-2. He was withdrawn later in that match with an injury.

His senior international career began in 2013, the same year he featured at the Confederations Cup.

Babatunde went on to earn 11 caps for the Super Eagles before his final appearance in 2016, largely as an attacking wide player.

At club level, Babatunde has turned out across Europe and beyond, most recently for Albanian side KS Pogradec.

His move to Dhaka adds fresh European and international experience to Abahani's revamped forward line.

He arrives alongside three fellow Nigerians: Anthony Okachi, Chinedu Mathu and Sunday Afolabi, filling out the club's full quota of four foreign players permitted under this season's league regulations.

With the foreign quota now complete, Abahani are exploring additional recruitment from within the SAFF region as the transfer window edges towards its close on 3 September.