Loren Zuniga, the 23-year-old forward who spent the past two seasons with Real Madrid Castilla, has left Spain to join Libyan club Al Madina SC.
The Tripoli-based side announced that the Equatorial Guinea international had signed a three-year contract after buying out his deal with Real Madrid.
Zuniga’s move is an unusual route for a player emerging from the Real Madrid system, taking him from the Spanish capital to Tripoli and into the Libyan championship. Although he was unable to make the final step into Real Madrid’s first team, his time with Castilla gave him a strong footballing education and experience of working within one of the game’s most demanding high-level environments.
The forward was developed in Spain and previously represented the country at youth level, including with the under-19 side. He later opted to play for Equatorial Guinea at senior international level.
Zuniga has made six appearances for the Equatorial Guinea national team, known as the Nzalang Nacional. He was also part of the squad at the most recent Africa Cup of Nations, starting two of the team’s three group-stage matches.
His arrival at Al Madina is a notable transfer because players from Real Madrid Castilla rarely move directly into the Libyan league. The deal also reflects the increasing ambition and investment within Libyan football in recent seasons.
Libyan clubs have been investing more heavily as they seek to close the gap on the leading leagues in the Arab world and North Africa. Al Madina finished fourth in their championship group last season and are now aiming to take another step forward under experienced Spanish manager Javier Clemente.
The signing of Zuniga is part of that wider project. The club hope his experience in the Real Madrid structure, together with his international exposure, will strengthen their squad as they look to improve on last season’s position.
For Zuniga, the decision may appear surprising given that he is only 23. However, after two seasons with Castilla without securing an opportunity in Real Madrid’s senior team, the move to Libya could provide him with a more prominent role and greater responsibility.
His career now takes him across the Mediterranean in an unexpected transfer, while his move also underlines the growing ambitions of Al Madina SC and Libyan football more broadly.
