Yusuf Ahmed (born 24 April 1997) is a Somali footballer who plays as a forward for National Premier Leagues Victoria club Avondale and the Somalia national team. A former youth player of Melbourne City,[2] he was named on the city's Rising Star award in 2018.[3]

Yusuf Ahmed
Personal information
Date of birth (1997-04-24) 24 April 1997 (age 27)[1]
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 12 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Avondale
Number 11
Youth career
2015–2018 Melbourne City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015 Dandenong Thunder 23 (11)
2016–2018 Melbourne City NPL 56 (20)
2019– Avondale 93 (26)
International career
2023– Somalia 3 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 September 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 November 2023

International career

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Ahmed received his first international call-up for the Somali national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers scheduled in November 2023.[4] The Somali Football Federation first took notice of Ahmed earlier that period after a relative notified a federation member.[4]

Ahmed made his competitive international debut on 16 November 2023 in a 3–1 defeat to Algeria at Nelson Mandela Stadium.[4][5] He scored Somalia's only goal in the 65th-minute of the match, which was the country's fourth goal in their World Cup qualifying history.[4][5]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 10 September 2023[1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Australia Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Heidelberg Stars SC 2014 State League 2 North-West 4 4
Dandenong Thunder 2015 NPL Victoria 23 11 23 11
Total 23 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 15
Melbourne City 2016 NPL Victoria 2 West/East 28 9 28 9
2017 3 0 3 0
2018 25 11 25 11
Total 56 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 56 20
Avondale 2019 NPL Victoria 27 6 27 6
2020 5 2 5 2
2021 17 5 17 5
2022 19 2 1 0 20 2
2023 25 11 25 11
Total 93 26 1 0 0 0 0 0 94 26
Career total 172 61 1 0 0 0 0 0 173 61

International

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As of match played 22 November 2023[6]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Somalia 2023 3 1
Total 3 1
List of international goals scored by Yusuf Ahmed
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 16 November 2023 Nelson Mandela Stadium, Algiers, Algeria 2   Algeria 1–2 1–3 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Y. Ahmed: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  2. ^ Stamocostas, Con (27 January 2017). "City's Young Stars To Rise Against Sydney". FTBL. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Event: Melbourne City Player of the Year". Melbourne City. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Higgins, Ben (5 December 2023). "Yusuf Ahmed reveals how he came to making his international debut for Somalia". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 12 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b D'Urbano, Nick (16 November 2023). "NPL star scores historic goal in World Cup qualifier". keepup.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  6. ^ Yusuf Ahmed at National-Football-Teams.com
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