17-Year-Old Yusuf Abdullahi Becomes Brightest Youngster In NPFL

Yusuf Abdullahi made a name for himself by scoring five goals in the Nigeria Premier Football League match between his team, Kano Pillars and Gombe United on Sunday, December 3.

Yusuf Abdullahi made Gombe United’s Gombe Township Stadium pantami his home despite never scoring in an NPFL game before then.

The Kano Pillars forward became the first teenager to score five goals in a single NPFL match on Sunday and those five goals are his first set of goals in 9 league matches so far this season.

Not much is known about Abdullahi except that he plays mostly as a right-winger and can also play from the left wing. According to Transfermarkt, he was born on September 23, 2006, which means that he is still 17 years old. However, most Nigerian media outlets claim he is currently 18 years old.

Naija News gathered that the youngster was one of the Kano Pillars youth team players that were promoted to the senior team ahead of the 2023-2024 season after they were temporarily banned for signing new players.

Unlike most youngsters with his talent and skills, Yusuf Abdullahi is yet to represent Nigeria in any youth team but the Technical Adviser of Kano Pillars, Abdullahi Maikaba, said that might change soon based on his performance against Gombe United on Sunday.

In the post-match press conference, the coach said: “My happiness is that one of the brilliant talents that is coming up in Nigeria has scored all the five goals. It is a wonderful day for Kano pillars, me, and my team.

“I have been telling him that the first goal is the key. If he can get his first goal, it will motivate him to score more.

“I am happy that his first goal geared him up to get four more in just one match.”

Below are the 2023-2024 NPFL Matchday 11 results in full

Saturday, December 2:

Akwa United 1-1 Kwara United
Enyimba 1-0 Sunshine Stars
Bendel Insurance 1-0 Lobi Stars
Doma United 1-0 Niger Tornadoes

Sunday, December 3:

Shooting Stars 0-0 Heartland
Bayelsa United 2-2 Abia Warriors
Gombe United 2-5 Kano Pillars
Sporting Lagos 1-0 Katsina United
Remo Stars 1-0 Plateau United