Yunus Musah

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Yunus Musah
Yunus Musah CC video screenshot.png
Musah with Valencia in 2020
Personal information
Full name Yunus Dimoara Musah[1]
Date of birth (2002-11-29) November 29, 2002 (age 19)
Place of birth New York City, New York, United States
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Valencia
Number 4
Youth career
Giorgione
2012–2019 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019– Valencia B 17 (1)
2020– Valencia 53 (2)
National team‡
2016–2017 England U15 7 (0)
2017–2018 England U16 8 (0)
2018–2019 England U17 9 (2)
2019 England U18 8 (2)
2020– United States 13 (0)
Honours
Representing  United States
Men's soccer
CONCACAF Nations League
Winner 2021
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of March 5, 2022
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of January 30, 2022

Yunus Dimoara Musah (born November 29, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays for La Liga club Valencia and the United States national team. Mainly a right winger, he can also play as a central midfielder.

Born in the United States to Ghanaian parents, he grew up mostly in England. He was a youth international for England before committing to the United States in 2021.

Club career[]

Early career[]

Musah was born in New York City while his Ghanaian mother was on vacation in the United States.[2] His father is also Ghanaian.[3] He moved to Italy after his birth, living in Castelfranco Veneto and later starting his career at Giorgione Calcio 2000.[4][5] In 2012, at age nine, he moved to London and joined Arsenal's Academy.[6][3]

Valencia[]

In the summer of 2019, Musah joined Valencia, at the age of 16,[7] and was assigned to the reserves in Segunda División B.[8][9] He made his debut with the B-team at the age of 16 on September 15, 2019, starting in a 0–0 home draw against CF La Nucía.[10] He scored his first senior goal on March 1, 2020, netting his team's only goal in a 2–1 loss at Gimnàstic de Tarragona.[11]

After the arrival of new manager Javi Gracia in Valencia's first team, Musah spent the 2020 pre-season with the main squad.[12] At age 17 years and eight months, he made his first team—and La Liga—debut on September 13 of that year, starting in a 4–2 home win against Levante UD.[13] In doing so, he became the first Englishman and American to debut for the club.[14]

On November 1, 2020, aged 17 years and 338 days, Musah scored a goal in a 2–2 draw against Getafe CF, becoming the youngest non-Spanish player to score for Valencia, breaking the previous record held by Lee Kang-in, aged 18 years and 219 days.[15] In December 2020, he extended his contract with Valencia until 2026.[16]

International career[]

As a youth, Musah was eligible to play for the United States, Ghana, Italy, and England.[17][18] He made his international debut with England's under-15s in 2016 and subsequently represented England up to the under-18 level. He was also called up to the under-19 squad in October 2020.[19] A Musah penalty earned England's under-18s a draw against Brazil's under-17s on September 8, 2019,[20] and he went on to score a crucial goal against Austria's under-18s on October 16, 2019, with England winning 3–2.[21] In total, Musah played more than 30 times for England at youth level.[22]

On November 2, 2020, Musah accepted a call-up to the United States senior squad to play in friendlies against Wales and Panama later that month.[23] He was part of a largely Europe-based squad which included 10 first-time selections and had an average age of 22.[24] Musah had been contacted by the United States Soccer Federation through Nico Estévez, a United States assistant manager who had connections with Valencia CF having previously managed their youth and reserve teams for eight years.[25] Musah made his senior international debut on November 11, starting in a 0–0 draw against Wales at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea.[26] He then started the following 6–2 win over Panama on November 16.[27]

Despite Musah having played for the United States at senior level, England senior manager Gareth Southgate revealed that he would attempt to persuade Musah to commit to continue playing for England in the long term, stating: "We're monitoring him. He's been with us in the last couple of months and we'd very much like his future to be with us."[3] England under-21 manager Aidy Boothroyd also stated: "I am hopeful we will see him in the U21s at some point. I don’t know [if he has made his decision]. I hope he hasn’t because I think if he came here and saw what we are all about that he would really enjoy it."[28] Meanwhile, United States management continued to connect with Musah after the November USMNT camp, with assistant manager Nico Estévez in day-to-day contact and also manager Gregg Berhalter holding conversations with Musah and his family.[29]

In the early months of 2021, Musah was reportedly undecided on the question of which nation to represent permanently.[3][18] On March 15, 2021, however, he officially committed to represent the United States internationally.[30]

Career statistics[]

Club[]

As of match played March 5, 2022[31]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Valencia B 2019–20 Segunda División B 17 1 — — — 17 1
Valencia 2020–21 La Liga 32 1 3 1 — — 35 2
2021–22 La Liga 21 1 6 2 — — 27 3
Total 53 2 9 3 — — 62 5
Career total 70 3 5 1 0 0 0 0 79 6
  1. ^ Includes Copa del Rey

International[]

As of match played January 30, 2022[32]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
United States 2020 2 0
2021 9 0
2022 2 0
Total 13 0

Honors[]

United States

References[]

  1. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 12 de septiembre de 2021, en Pamplona" [Minutes of the Match held on 12 September 2021, in Pamplona] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  2. ^ Straus, Brian. "USMNT Makes Its Case to Another Rising Star With Options". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "The 'adaptability and hunger' driving Yunus Musah's journey to stardom with USMNT and Valencia". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  4. ^ "Yunus, una Bella Favola che diviene Realtà: Dal Giorgione al Valencia, passando per Arsenal e Nazionale inglese!" [Yunus, a beautiful tale that becomes reality: from Giorgione to Valencia, passing through Arsenal and the English national team!] (in Italian). Stori di Eccellenza. August 24, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  5. ^ "Player Analysis: Yunus Musah". Breaking The Lines. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  6. ^ "El talento inglés que se enamoró del fútbol del sur" [The English talent who fell in love for the southern football] (in Spanish). Las Provincias. August 31, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  7. ^ "Musah the blueprint for Valencia's future" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  8. ^ "El Valencia CF Mestalla ficha a dos talentos internacionales" [Valencia CF Mestalla sign two international talents] (in Spanish). Golsmedia. August 9, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  9. ^ "Valencia sign Ghanaian teenager Yunus Musah from Arsenal". Ghana Web. September 6, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  10. ^ "Al Mestalla se le escapa el triunfo con uno más (0–0)" [Mestalla let the win slip away with one more man (0–0)] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  11. ^ "Derrota amarga del Valencia CF Mestalla en casa del Nàstic de Tarragona" [Bittersweet defeat of Valencia CF Mestalla at the home of Nàstic de Tarragona] (in Spanish). Golsmedia. March 1, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  12. ^ "Yunus Musah enamora al valencianismo y a Europa" [Yunus Musah charms the valencianismo and Europe] (in Spanish). Golsmedia. August 23, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  13. ^ "El Valencia supera el pánico" [Valencia overcome the panic] (in Spanish). Marca. September 13, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  14. ^ "Yunus Musah, la última perla de la cantera che" [Yunus Musah, the last pearl of the che youth setup] (in Spanish). Diario AS. September 13, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  15. ^ "Musah, gol y récord" [Musah, goal and record]. Super Deporte (in Spanish). November 1, 2020.
  16. ^ "U.S.-Eligible Yunus Musah Signs Valencia Extension Through 2026". si.com. December 4, 2020.
  17. ^ Cannon, George (November 2, 2020). "Yunus Musah: Things to Know About the Midfielder". 90min. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  18. ^ a b Feehely, Alan (December 1, 2020). "Kieran Trippier advises Yunus Musah on England future". Football Espana. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  19. ^ The Football Association (October 2, 2020). "YOUNG LIONS SQUAD NAMED FOR DOUBLE-HEADER WITH SCOTLAND AT ST. GEORGE'S PARK". The FA.
  20. ^ Association, The Football. "England MU18s 1-1 Brazil". www.thefa.com. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  21. ^ Association, The Football. "Young Lions end Euro trip with three wins from three after victory in Austria". www.thefa.com. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  22. ^ Sousa, Justin (November 9, 2020). "Yunus Musah: Journey to the USMNT". Scouted Football. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  23. ^ Tenorio, Paul. "Valencia's Yunus Musah to get USMNT call-up in roster for friendly vs. Wales". The Athletic. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  24. ^ "England Under-18 Star Yunus Musah Called Up to USA Squad". 90min.com. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  25. ^ Straus, Brian. "USMNT Makes Its Case to Another Rising Teen Star With Options". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  26. ^ "England and the United States fighting to secure Yunus Musah's services". Marca. November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  27. ^ "Goal-Scoring Outbursts Fuel Young USMNT Past Panama 6–2 in Austria". ussoccer.com. November 16, 2020.
  28. ^ "'I hope Musah hasn't chosen the USMNT' - Boothroyd admits England still hope to win race for Valencia wonderkid | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  29. ^ "GFIVE THINGS TO KNOW: USMNT MIDFIELDER YUNUS MUSAH". ussoccer.com. March 15, 2021.
  30. ^ "Yunus Musah commits to U.S. Men's National Team". US Soccer. March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  31. ^ Yunus Musah at Soccerway
  32. ^ Yunus Musah at National-Football-Teams.com

External links[]

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