Ahmed Musa was born on the 14th of October 1992 and is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward and left winger for Turkish Süper Lig club Fatih Karagümrük and the Nigeria national team.
Musa’s Club career
Ahmed Musa began his career in the GBS Football Academy.[6]
Breakthrough in Nigeria
Ahmed Musa was loaned to JUTH F.C. in 2008, where he played 18 games, scoring four goals in his first two professional seasons for the Healers. Musa was also 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.
The Jos born striker 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 record of 20 goals.
VVV-Venlo
Unarguably, Ahmed Musa was 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. On the 14th of October 2010, Musa was officially eligible to play for VVV-Venlo when he eventually turned 18 years of age.
Musa made his debut for VVV-Venlo against FC Groningen on 30 October, which less than a week after arriving at the club. The young star started the game for VVV-Venlo, was fouled in the 50th minute and received a penalty kick.
Ahmed Musa on the 8th of March 2011, won the AIT footballer of the year award (national). According to BBC sport, the ceremony was held at the Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. This means that 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.
CSKA Moscow
Again, Ahmed Musa signed for Russian side CSKA Moscow for an undisclosed fee on the 7th of January 2012.
The Nigerian international scored an 82nd minute consolation goal in a 5–1 UEFA Champions League away rout to A.S. Roma on 17 September 2014. On the 1st of June 2015, Ahmed Musa signed a new four-year contract with CSKA until the end of the 2018–19 season. Ahmed Musa reportedly finished the 2015–16 Russian Premier League season as the 5th highest scorer, becoming one of only seven players aged 23 or younger to reach double figures for goals in each of the past two seasons in Europe’s top seven leagues.
Leicester City
The Nigerian starman Ahmed Musa later moved to Leicester City for a club record £16.6 million on the 8th July 2016. He however recorded his first goals with the club in a friendly against Barcelona in the 2016 International Champions Cup which ended in a 4–2 loss. The 29-year old made his Premier League debut on 13 August 2016 in the club’s opening day 2–1 defeat to Hull City. As per his career statistics, he scored his first Premier League goal with the opener in a 3–1 victory over Crystal Palace on 22 October 2016.
Loan return to CSKA Moscow
Ahmed Musa returned to CSKA Moscow on loan for the remainder of the 2017–18 season on the 30th of January 2018.
Various report however has it that on the 4th of August 2018, Ahmed Musa moved to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr on a permanent deal. Al Nassr announced that Musa was leaving in the month of October 2020. As per Skysport, it was reported that Premier League club West Bromwich Albion was expected to complete a move for Ahmed Musa in the January transfer window for the 2020–21 season.
Return to Kano Pillars
After the move to West Bromwich failed, on the 13th of April 2021, Musa rejoined Nigerian club Kano Pillars until the end of the 2020–21 season.
International career
Under the management of Coach Lars Lagerbäck in April 2010, 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. Still in the same tournament against Burkina Faso, Musa’s goal deep into extra-time shot Nigeria into the finals of the tournament in Abeokuta. Ahmed Musa was however forced out of the Super Eagles’ 30-man World Cup roster due to an ankle injury.
The former Leicester City player maker also represented Nigeria U20 in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Colombia in August 2011, where he scored three goals in five matches. The Nigerian star was again, 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.
The Nigerian super star, Ahmed Musa was one of the four nominees named for the Confederation of African Football Most Promising Talent Award on the 7th of December 2011, however the award went to Ivory Coast’s Souleymane Coulibaly.
In the month of May 2018 the 29-year old was named in Nigeria’s preliminary 30-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Unarguably, Musa’s performance against Iceland was superb, it was not even enough to keep the West Africans in the tournament as they were eliminated by Argentina. Again, Ahmed Musa scored twice in a 2–0 victory over Iceland in their second group match of the World Cup on the 22nd of June 2018. Ahmed Musa became the third most capped player for Nigeria’s national team in June 2019, surpassing Nwankwo Kanu, after appearing in a friendly against Zimbabwe. The Nigerian international was named in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations team by head coach Gernot Rohr. And he was also part of the Nigerian squad at the 2021 edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) held in Cameroun.
Ahmed Musa Salary
Since Ahmed signed a contract with the Saudi Arabian team, he is getting a salary of $3 million (i.e. 1,092,780,000 Naira) from it. Previously, when he playing for Leicester City, he got around $3 million Annually and with the weekly salary of $43,000. As of 2018, his net worth was $10 million which seems to be increased by a great rate in 2019.
Ahmed Musa’s Net Worth
Ahmed Musa’s net worth is estimated to be at $25 million, with a market value of $18 million some say that his net worth is over billions of naira, as his investments keep on increasing. Again, having Musa undergone medical with the Ataturk Olympic Stadium outfit, Ahmed Musa will earn a staggering $2.5 million annually at the club as well as a weekly pay of $40,000, with bonuses, according to Sports Drill.
Honours
Club
CSKA
Russian Premier League: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16
Russian Cup: 2012–13
Russian Super Cup: 2013, 2014
Al-Nassr
Saudi Professional League: 2018–19
Saudi Super Cup: 2019
International
Nigeria U20
African Youth Championship: 2011
Nigeria
WAFU Nations Cup: 2010
Africa Cup of Nations: 2013
Individual
Nigeria Premier League Top Scorer: 2009–10
In the list of 33 best football players of the championship of Russia: 2012–13
Russian Cup Top Scorer: 2012–13
CAF Team of the Year: 2014