Ahmed Musa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 07/2016
Personal information
Date of birth
14 October 1992
Place of birth
Jos, Nigeria
Height
1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position
Winger / Forward
Club information
Current team
CSKA Moscow
Nigeria
Leicester City 2016-
Article
Youth career
GBS Football Academy
Senior career*
GBS Football Academy
2008-2010
0x apps / 0x goal
→ JUTH (loan)
2008-2009
18x apps / 4x goals
→ Kano Pillars (loan)
2009-2010
25x apps / 18x goals
VVV-Venlo
2010-2012
37x apps / 8x goals
CSKA Moscow
2012-2016
125x apps / 42x goals
Leicester City
2016-
0x apps / 0x goal
National team
Nigeria U20
2011
6x apps / 3x goals
Nigeria U23
2011
1x app / 1x goal
Nigeria
2010-
58x apps / 11x goals
(* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21 May 2016. - National team caps and goals correct as of 25 March 2016)
Ahmed Musa is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as forward for CSKA Moscow and the Nigeria national team.
Musa is the first Nigerian to score more than once in a FIFA World Cup match after scoring twice against Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
On 4 July 2016, it was reported in some news outlets that Musa had agreed to join Leicester City, but as of 05/07/2016, no official confirmation has been released by the club.
Career
Early career
Musa began his career in the GBS Football Academy.
Breakthrough in Nigeria
In September, 2007, a local publication in Jos, Nigeria featured Ahmed Musa on its Undiscovered Talent column.
In 2008 he was loaned to JUTH F.C. where he played 18 games, scoring four goals in his first two professional seasons for the Healers.
He was subsequently loaned to Kano Pillars F.C., in the 2009–10 season where he set the league record scoring multiple crucial goals as Pillars finished second.
Musa previously held the record for the highest goals ever scored in one season in the history of the Nigeria Premier League until November 2011 when Jude Aneke of Kaduna United F.C. set a new goals record of 20 goals.
VVV-Venlo
He transferred to Dutch club VVV-Venlo in summer 2010 but the move was held up because he was only 17 years of age and therefore not eligible for an ITC in accordance with the current FIFA rules.
He was officially eligible to play for VVV-Venlo on 14 October 2010 when he eventually turned 18 years of age.
Less than a week after arriving at the club, Musa made his debut for VVV-Venlo against FC Groningen on 30 October.
He started the game for VVV-Venlo, was fouled in the 50th minute and received a penalty kick.
Rated by Goal.com amongst the Hot 100 young football stars in the world to watch in 2011, Lolade Adewuyi for Goal.com put him on the list of Top Ten Nigerian International Players of 2010 and was also included in IFFHS list of the best 140 players in the world.
On 8 March 2011, Ahmed Musa won the AIT footballer of the year award (national).
The ceremony was held at the Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The event had in attendance, BBC African Footballer of the Year winner, Ghanaian Asamoah Gyan and the top officials from the Nigerian football federation including the president Aminu Maigari.
In April, Venlo's football director Mario Captien said that representatives of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. had visited the club regarding the player, also Ajax scout Tijani Babangida said that Ajax were interested in Musa but that the outcome would be decided at the end of the season.
On 1 May 2011, Musa hit a brace to sink Feyenoord 3:2 and end any lingering fears of automatic relegation from the Eredivisie.
In August 2011, after returning from the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia, Musa made his first appearance of the 2011/2012 season at home against AFC Ajax and scored two goals.
In September VVV-Venlo chairman Hai Berden disclosed on Eredivise Live that VVV-Venlo had turned down a last minute bid of 10 million euros for Musa from the Bundesliga.
The name of the Bundesliga club was not disclosed.
CSKA Moscow
On 7 January 2012, Musa signed for Russian side CSKA Moscow for an undisclosed fee. On 17 September 2014 he scored an 82nd minute consolation goal in a 5:1 UEFA Champions league away rout to AS Roma.
On 1 June 2015, Musa signed a new four-year contract with CSKA, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2018-19 season.
International
In April 2010 under Coach Lars Lagerbäck, he was called up to join the Nigeria national football team camp prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa after helping the Nigerian team win in the 2010 WAFU Nations Cup where he scored a goal against Benin.
In the same tournament against Burkina Faso, Musa's goal deep into extra-time shot Nigeria into the finals of the tournament in Abeokuta.
He was however forced out of the Super Eagles' 30-man World Cup roster due to an ankle injury.
On 5 August 2010, at the age of 17, Musa made his debut for the Nigeria senior team in a qualification match for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations against Madagascar, where he came on as a substitute for John Obi Mikel in a 2:0 win.
Musa scored his first goal for the Super Eagles in a March 2011 friendly against Kenya.
In April 2011, Ahmed Musa was included in the Nigeria national under-20 football team squad to represent the nation in the 2011 African Youth Championship qualifiers, even though VVV Venlo had declared him unavailable for the tournament due to club commitments.
After some intense negotiations with the Nigerian Federation, VVV Venlo and Musa's representatives it was agreed that Musa will shuttle between the Netherlands and South Africa to participate in the tournament with the national team.
After the opening game against defending champions Ghana, Musa won the most valuable player award and boarded the next flight back to the Netherlands.
In August 2011, Musa represented Nigeria U20 in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Colombia, where he scored three goals in five matches.
Musa was included by FIFA in shortlist of 10 candidates for the Adidas Golden Ball, which was awarded to the most outstanding player of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
On 7 December 2011, Ahmed Musa was one of the four nominees named for the Confederation of African Football Most Promising Talent Award, however the award went to Côte d'Ivoire's Souleymane Coulibaly.
Musa was called up to Nigeria's 23-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
He scored in a 4:1 semi-final defeat of Mali and appeared as a substitute against Burkina Faso in the final, as the Super Eagles won their fifth continental title.
Overall he appeared in five of the team's six matches.
At the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, he started in all three of the team's matches as they were eliminated in the group stage.
After appearing in all of Nigeria's qualifying matches, Musa was named in Stephen Keshi's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
He scored two goals in the team's final Group F match, a 3:2 defeat to Argentina.