Yunus Dimoara Musah (born November 29, 2002) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for club

AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...

and the United States national team. An alumnus of

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

's Hale End academy, Musah began his senior career with

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

club

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

in 2020 at age 17 after quickly rising through club's youth and reserve teams. With Valencia, he featured in 94 league appearances for the club. In June 2023 he signed with

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

club

for €20 million ($21.9m) and won the 2025 Supercoppa Italiana. Born in the United States to Ghanaian parents, he grew up mostly in Italy and England. He was a youth international for England before debuting with the U.S. senior squad in 2020 and officially committing to the nation in 2021. Musah won the

CONCACAF Nations League The CONCACAF Nations League (, ) is an association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its secondary continental tournament for men's senior national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament takes pla ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

and

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, and named the 2022 U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year.

Club career

Early career

Musah was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to Ghanaian parents when his mother was on vacation in the United States. After his birth, the family moved to

Castelfranco Veneto Castelfranco Veneto () is a town and (municipality) of Veneto, northern Italy, in the province of Treviso. It is the third largest municipality in the province by population after the capital Treviso and Conegliano. It is centrally located betwe ...

, Italy, where he started his career at the local Giorgione Calcio 2000 team. In 2012, at age nine, he moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and joined

's Academy whilst studying at Eastbury Community School in Barking. Arsenal U16 coach Trevor Bumstead stated Musah made an immediate impression; "As a player, he was 'wow'. He's got fantastic physical attributes and the drive and determination to go with that. He would play anywhere to get in the team but his favourite was as a central attacking midfield player."

Valencia

In the summer of 2019, Musah joined

, at the age of 16, and was assigned to the reserves in

Segunda División B Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...

. 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 La Nucía. 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 Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, commonly known as Gimnàstic Tarragona or sometimes just Nàstic, is a Spanish sports club based in Tarragona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Its football team plays in . The club was founded in 1886 an ...

. After the arrival of new manager Javi Gracia in Valencia's first team, Musah spent the 2020 pre-season with the main squad. At age 17 years and eight months, he made his first team—and

—debut on September 13 of that year, starting in a 4–2 home win against

Levante UD Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. () is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club in Valencia, in the Valencian Community, namesake autonomous community. Founded on 6 September 1909, the club will compete in La Liga for the 2025– ...

. In doing so, he became the first Englishman and American to debut for the club. On November 1, 2020, aged 17 years and 338 days, Musah scored a goal in a 2–2 draw against

Getafe CF Getafe Club de Fútbol S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Getafe, a city in the Community of Madrid. They compete in La Liga, the top tier of the Football in Spain, Spanish football. The team has pla ...

, 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. The following month, he extended his contract with Valencia until 2026. On December 16, in the

first round First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

of the

Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...

, he came on with four minutes remaining away to

Tercera División Tercera División () was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Until 1977, it was the third tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segund ...

club

Terrassa Terrassa () is a city in central-eastern Catalonia and in the province of Barcelona (Spain). It is one of the two capitals of Vallès Occidental county, being the larger in both area and population. The name ''Terrassa'' derives from Latin ''Te ...

and scored an equalizing goal as his team won 4–2 after

extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...

. He was nominated for the 2022 Golden Boy award for his seasonal performances. In the 2021–22 Copa del Rey, Musah scored in wins at Utrillas and Arenteiro in the early rounds. In the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

on April 23, he replaced Dimitri Foulquier after 100 minutes of a 1–1 draw against

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It plays in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. It plays home ...

and was the only player to miss in the

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

AC Milan

On August 4, 2023, Musah joined

club

for €18m ($19.8m) plus €2m ($2.2m) in bonuses, signing a contract until June 2028. He chose the number 80, previously worn by

Ronaldinho Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or left winger. Widely reg ...

. On September 19 at age 20, Musah made his

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

debut against

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

as a sub in the 72nd minute. On October 7, he provided his first assist for Milan in a pass to

Christian Pulisic Christian Mate Pulisic (born September 18, 1998) is an American professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, winger for club AC Milan and the United States men's national soccer team, United States natio ...

in the 1–0 win over

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

. On August 17, 2024 during the 2024–25 season opening match against

Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, Musah assisted Noah Okafor's equalizer to level the game 2–2 in stoppage time.

International career

As a youth, Musah was eligible to play for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

England youth teams

Musah 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. A Musah penalty earned England's under-18s a draw against Brazil's under-17s on September 8, 2019, and he went on to score a crucial goal against Austria's under-18s on October 16, 2019, with England winning 3–2. In total, Musah played more than 30 times for England at youth level.

U.S. men's team

Musah accepted a call-up to the United States senior squad on November 2, 2020, to play in friendlies against

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

later that month. He was part of a largely Europe-based squad which included 10 first-time selections and had an average age of 22. Musah had been contacted by the

United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of soccer in the United States. It is a full member of FIFA and governs American soccer ...

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. Musah made his senior international debut on November 11, starting in a 0–0 draw against Wales at the

Liberty Stadium The Swansea.com Stadium (; formerly Liberty Stadium) is an all-seated multi-use sports stadium and conferencing venue located in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales, hosting both rugby union and football. The stadium opened in 2005 and was name ...

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

. He then started the following 6–2 win over Panama on November 16. Despite Musah having played for the United States at senior level, England senior manager

Gareth Southgate Sir Gareth Southgate (born 3 September 1970) is an English professional Association football, football manager and player, who played as a Defender (association football), defender and midfielder. A Crystal Palace F.C., Crystal Palace Crystal ...

attempted to persuade Musah to play for England, 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." 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 f 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." 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. In late 2020, as he approached his 18th birthday, Musah was reportedly undecided on the question of which nation to represent permanently. On March 15, 2021, however, he officially committed to represent the United States internationally. Musah played for the U.S. at the

2022 World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

in Qatar. He was regarded as one of the tournament's best young players for his impressive performances against

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

in the team's

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

. He won the U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year award in 2022. On October 12, 2024, Musah scored his debut goal for the United States in a friendly match against Panama that had a final score of 2–0.

Personal life

Musah is a devout

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, adhering to the five obligatory daily prayers in Islam. During the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

hosted in Qatar, he stated "I'm enjoying being able to practice my religion really well." In addition to English and Italian, Musah is fluent in Spanish.

Playing style

He is known for his technical ability, movement, and strength.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''United States score listed first, score column indicates score after each United States goal.''

Honors

Valencia *

runner-up: 2021–22 AC Milan *

Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana, also known as the Italian Super Cup, is an annual super cup tournament in Italian football. Founded in 1988 as a two-team competition, it has featured four teams since 2023 (the winners and runners-up of the previous ...

: 2024–25 United States *

: 2019–20, 2022–23, 2023–24 Individual * U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year: 2022 *CONCACAF Nations League Finals Best XI:

References

External links

* *
Profile
at the AC Milan website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Musah, Yunus 2002 births Living people Soccer players from New York City American men's soccer players United States men's international soccer players English men's footballers England men's youth international footballers Italian men's footballers American emigrants to England American emigrants to Italy American sportspeople of Ghanaian descent Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Italian people of Ghanaian descent English people of Ghanaian descent African-American soccer players African-American Muslims Black British sportsmen 21st-century Black British people Men's association football midfielders La Liga players Segunda División B players Serie A players Valencia CF Mestalla footballers Valencia CF players AC Milan players 2022 FIFA World Cup players 2024 Copa América players American expatriate men's soccer players English expatriate men's footballers American expatriate sportspeople in Spain English expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Spain 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century Italian sportsmen 21st-century English sportsmen