Sodiq Akinola Ismaila (born 13 August 2003) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Nigeria Premier Football League club Kano Pillars and the Nigeria national football team.
Club career
Remo Stars Ismaila developed at Beyond Limits in 2017 before joining Remo Stars.
He established himself as an attacking right-back with Remo Stars in the Nigeria Premier Football League. During the 2023–24 season, he recorded 13 assists before scoring his first senior league goal on the final day of the campaign, opening the scoring in a 2–1 victory over Katsina United.
During the 2024–25 season, Ismaila was part of the Remo Stars side that won the club's first Nigeria Premier Football League title.
ND Primorje In February 2026, Ismaila left Remo Stars and joined Slovenian club ND Primorje. He made zero appearances during the 2025–26 Slovenian PrvaLiga season.
Kano Pillars In June 2026, Ismaila returned to Nigeria to join Kano Pillars ahead of the 2026–27 Nigeria Premier Football League season, following his spell with Slovenian side ND Primorje. He was subsequently listed in Kano Pillars' first-team squad for the season.
International career In May 2024, Ismaila received his first call-up to the Nigeria national football team for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin.
He made his senior international debut on 10 June 2024, replacing Bright Osayi-Samuel in the 60th minute of the 2–1 defeat to Benin in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF). Ismaila scored his first senior international goal on 28 December 2024, opening the scoring in a 3–1 victory over Ghana in the second leg of the 2024 African Nations Championship qualifiers.
Ismaila was selected for Nigeria's squad for the 2025 Unity Cup in London. He started the semi-final against Ghana on 28 May 2025 and supplied the cross from which Cyriel Dessers scored Nigeria's opening goal in a 2–1 victory.
Nigeria went on to win the tournament after defeating Jamaica on penalties in the final.
In July 2025, Ismaila was named in Nigeria's squad for the delayed 2024 African Nations Championship, which was restricted to players based in their domestic leagues.
Career statistics
Club
+Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Club SeasonLeagueDivision Apps Goals Remo Stars 2021–22Nigeria Premier Football League 8 0 2022–23Nigeria Premier Football League 15 0 2023–24Nigeria Premier Football League 34 1 2024–25Nigeria Premier Football League 26 3 2025–26Nigeria Premier Football League 1 0 Total 84 4 ND Primorje 2025–26Slovenian PrvaLiga 0 0Kano Pillars2026–27Nigeria Premier Football League00 Career total 84 4
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and year National team Year Apps Goals Nigeria 2024 3 1 2025 5 0 2026 0 0 Total 8 1
Nigeria score listed first, score column indicates score after each Ismail goal +List of international goals scored by Sodiq IsmailaNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition128 December 2024Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria1–03–12024 African Nations Championship qualification
Honours Remo Stars Nigeria Premier Football League: 2024–25
Nigeria Unity Cup: 2025
References