Ayila Yussuf facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Atanda Ayila Yussuf | ||
| Date of birth | 4 November 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.84 m | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2003 | Julius Berger | ||
| Enyimba | |||
| Union Bank | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2003 | Union Bank | 43 | (4) |
| 2003–2014 | Dynamo Kyiv | 120 | (10) |
| 2003 | → Dynamo-2 Kyiv | 10 | (0) |
| 2013 | → Orduspor (loan) | 8 | (1) |
| 2013 | → Dynamo-2 Kyiv | 8 | (2) |
| 2014 | → Metalist Kharkiv (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| Total | 194 | (18) | |
| National team | |||
| 2005–2011 | Nigeria | 31 | (1) |
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Atanda Ayila Yussuf (born 4 November 1984) is a former professional footballer from Nigeria. He played as a central defender or a defensive midfielder. Yussuf was a youth player for Nigeria before joining Ukrainian Premier League club Dynamo Kyiv in 2003. He became an important player for both Dynamo Kyiv and the Nigerian national team, even with some injuries. Later, he played for Metalist Kharkiv on loan in 2014.
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out in Football
When he was 16, Ayila Yussuf signed his first professional contract with Enyimba International. After that, he played for Union Bank. His talent quickly caught the eye of coaches for the national youth teams.
Playing for Dynamo Kyiv
Many clubs were interested in Yussuf, including PSV Eindhoven and VfB Stuttgart. But in July 2003, he chose to sign with Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine.
He first played for the club's reserve team, FC Dynamo-2 Kyiv, on August 5. Less than two months later, on September 21, he made his first appearance for the main senior team. Unfortunately, a serious knee injury ended his first season early.
On September 16, 2004, Yussuf played in his first UEFA Champions League match for Dynamo Kyiv. This was a big game against Roma.
After the 2011–12 season, it became harder for Yussuf to keep his spot in the main team. So, on January 31, 2013, he was loaned to Orduspor, a team in Turkey. After his time in Turkey, he still struggled to get back into Dynamo Kyiv's first team. He then played for their reserve team again, Dynamo-2 Kyiv. On February 18, 2014, he joined Metalist Kharkiv on loan until the end of the year.
See Also
In Spanish: Ayila Yussuf para niños
