Naija player in view...compiled by Abayomi Ademetan

Ahmed Musa was born in 1992.He grew up in Jos,the capital of  Plateau State. He currently plays his club football in CSKA Moscow as a forward. He is  an integral  member of the Nigeria national football team.

Early Life

Musa began his football training career in the Aminchi Football Academy.He was dreaded by defenders in Jos and feared by coaches.

In 2008,Nigeria Premier League clubs came knocking wanting to win his signature.He took a lower side opting for  JUTH.He was sent on-loan  to JUTH  where he played 18 games.He netted four goals in his first two professional seasons for the Jos based side.

The experience he gained playing regular football helped his career.

In the 2009/10 season,he joined Kano Pillars,where he set the league record with 18 goals as the Pyramid Boys 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 set a new goals record of 20 goals.


He moved  to modest  side,VVV-Venlo in the summer of 2010.The move was pending  because he was only 17 years of age and therefore not eligible for an International Transfer Certificate in accordance with the current FIFA rules.


He was officially eligible to play for Venlo on 14 October 2010 when he eventually turned 18 years of age.

Less than a week after arriving at the club from the shores of Nigeria, Musa made his debut for Venlo against Olufemi Ajilore's FC Groningen on the 30th of October,2010. He started the game and was given high marks by the Dutch press and fans of Venlo.

On 8 March 2011, Ahmed Musa won the African Independent Television(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 supremo,Aminu Maigari.

His debut performance in Europe was noticed by top clubs like Schalke 04,Borussia Dortmund,Arsenal,Tottenham Hotspurs and a host of others.

On 1 May 2011, Musa netted  a brace to sink Feyenoord 3-2 and end any lingering fears of automatic relegation from the Eredivisie.


In July 2011, he represented Nigeria at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia making a lasting impression.The Nigerian team bowed down to the firepowers of France in the quarter finals.

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 Fußball-Bundesliga. The name of the Fußball-Bundesliga club was not disclosed.

 

On 7 January 2012, Musa signed for Russian giants CSKA Moscow for an undisclosed fee .

He has endeared himself to CSKA fans with some great performance.Recently he was utilised as the team's centre forward in the absence of injured Doumbia.

International Adventure

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.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 world cup 30-man roster due to an ankle injury.



On 5 August , Musa represented the Nigeria national football team in a qualification match for the Africa Nations Cup against Madagascar, where he came on as a substitute for John Obi Mikel. Nigeria won the match with 2-0. Musa scored a goal for Nigeria in the March 2011 friendly against Kenya.

In April 2011 Ahmed Musa was included in the Nigerian U-20 squad to represent Nigeria in the AYC world cup 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 (MVP) most valuable player award hosted by samsung and boarded the next flight back to the Netherlands.

In August 2011, Musa represented the Nigeria national under-20 football team in the U-20 World Cup held in Colombia, where he scored three goals in five matches.

He is also an important component in Mr Keshi newly assembled side.

He was called up to Nigeria's 23-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.The African Shield was hoisted by Nigeria with Musa playing  a key role.