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Winning a league title never loses its magic.
In Nigeria, Remo Stars just wrote their own story.
Founded in 2010 as Remo Stars Sports Club, they made it to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) in 2016, and crashed straight back down. A lot of clubs would’ve stayed down. Remo didn’t.
They fought back in 2021, and since then, they’ve made a habit of sticking around:
Third in 2022.
Second in 2023, missing the title by goal difference.
Second again in 2024.
Always close, never quite there. Until now.
On Sunday night, under the floodlights at their stadium in Ikenne, it all came together. Remo Stars were champions of Nigeria for the first time.
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For Daniel Ogunmodede the coach, it wasn’t just a title triumph. It was a journey of years in the making, sealed.
The coach who had guided Remo Stars into the NPFL in 2021 but wasn’t there for their debut top-flight season had come back in 2022 with a mission. A plan, yes. A tactical identity, yes. But more than that was a stubborn, burning belief that a team from Ikenne could go toe-to-toe with the heavyweights from everywhere else.
Behind the trophy and the celebrations, though, lies something deeper. The relentless culture he built, the quiet tactical tweaks season after season, and the human connection that turned promise into steel.
This is the story of how Daniel Ogunmodede “Ijaball” led Remo Stars to their first-ever NPFL title, and how a club that once looked destined for the shadows now stands as champions after just five seasons in the top flight.
If you step into a Daniel Ogunmodede training session, you feel it straight away.
Intensity, detail, standards, everything matters. You don’t just pass the ball and move on. If Ogunmodede wants it played left and you roll it right, he stops it, calls it back, starts again.
Mess it up a few times and you’ll feel it in your pocket too. Mistakes aren’t just corrected. They’re fined. It’s not cruel. It’s just the way things have to be.
One key phrase you hear in training often is “Guys, na me go play?”, “look my friend, you need to attack this space well”. You will also hear a lot of Portuguese in training
Players learned the rhythm quickly.
You didn’t just show up for training when it started, you were there early. An hour, and hour fifteen before the session even kicked off. Getting your mind right. Getting sharp.
Ogunmodede never had to shout about it. He didn’t have to. You just knew. You didn’t want to be the one walking in late.
Set-pieces also became non-negotiable. Every routine, every setup was drilled and drilled until it was perfect.
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The Mentality was high up as well, there was always the need to be brave when faced with challenging moments. Daniel ensures to tell his players most times to not only play for the money but play for their name to be etched in history.
For Daniel, it’s work and more work.
You wouldn’t survive the Daniel tactical system if you don’t work. Laziness is never an option, lack of attitude is thrown in the bin.
Yet, for all the meticulous attention to detail, there was an undeniable warmth to the place. It never felt oppressive, never suffocating—just alive, in its own way.
There was laughter. There were jokes.
Remo Stars didn’t get here overnight. Anyone who’s followed this team knows the real work was done long before the table told the story. Ogunmodede built this squad with brutal standards, never letting anyone, himself included, settle for “almost.”
Finally, It’s not just about what happens on the pitch for Remo Stars. The club’s solid management and structure, backed by partners like Bet9ja, have played a huge role in their rise. Combine that with Daniel’s leadership and the players’ performances, and it’s clear why they’re now champions.
They’re champions for the first time ever, and it’s hard not to see this as the start of something bigger. And maybe, just maybe, it is.
