FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts. (12 August 2024) – The New England Revolution have signed Nigerian midfielder Alhassan Yusuf (pronounced ALL-hate-SAHN YOO-suff) from Belgian club Royal Antwerp FC for an undisclosed fee, signing the 24-year-old as part of a season-ending injury-related transfer. Yusuf, a TAM-eligible player, will take up a spot on the international roster and has a contract through the 2027 Major League Soccer season, with a club option for 2028. Yusuf will join the Revolution subject to the receipt of his P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC).
Yusuf, 24, joins Revolution after three years in the Belgian top flight with Royal Antwerp, where he won three trophies, including the 2022–23 Belgian Championship and the 2022–23 Belgian Cup. He was named the club’s Player of the Month in August 2022. In the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League, Yusuf played in all six matches for Antwerp, scoring in his first start against FC Porto and later providing an assist against FC Barcelona in the group stage. He has made seven further appearances in UEFA Europa League qualifying and the tournament. Yusuf finishes his career at Antwerp with 90 league appearances in the Jupiler Pro League and the Jupiler Pro League Champions Playoffs.
“We are delighted to welcome Alhassan Yusuf, a strong player with elite European Championship experience, to our squad, whose arrival makes us even stronger in central midfield,” said Revolution sporting director Curt Onalfo. “Alhassan is a talented player with championship experience at the peak of his career. His competitive spirit, excellent vision and passing, and tenacious tackling will raise the level of our team.”
Born in Kano, Nigeria, he began his club career in Sweden with IFK Göteborg from 2018 to 2021. Göteborg signed Yusuf as a teenager on a professional contract and he made 77 appearances for the Swedish top-flight club in all competitions, providing nine assists and scoring two goals. In his first full season, Yusuf was named the 2019 Allsvenskan Newcomer of the Year after making 26 league appearances. He surpassed that mark the following season, playing 29 games. With Göteborg, Yusuf won the 2019/20 Svenska Cupen, Sweden’s premier domestic cup competition.
“With his international and Champions League experience, I expect Alhassan Yusuf to quickly establish himself as an elite midfielder in Major League Soccer,” added head coach Caleb Porter. “Yusuf is an athletic, box-to-box central midfielder who brings all the qualities we look for in our double-sixes. He is very complete on both sides of the ball and will add defensive ball-winning ability and verticality to our attack. Alhassan Yusuf is another new signing who is at the peak of his career and has championship pedigree.”
Yusuf has made seven appearances for the Nigerian national team, all this year, after making his debut in a friendly against Guinea in January 2024. He made three appearances at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, starting once and including a substitute appearance in the final as Nigeria finished runners-up. Most recently, Yusuf made two appearances in FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin.
Yusuf is the fourth player to join New England in the second transfer window of 2024. The Revolution acquired U22 striker Luca Langoni on a free transfer for a club-record fee from Boca Juniors, while also adding defenders Will Sands and Tim Parker in trades from Columbus and St. Louis, respectively, each bringing in $600,000 in MLS allocation money.
The Revolution will resume the 2024 MLS regular season on Saturday, August 24, when they travel to Canada to visit CF Montreal. The 7:30 p.m. ET game at Stade Saputo will be available with the MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, 98.5 The Sports Hub (WBZ-FM) and 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA (Portuguese).
TRANSACTION: New England Revolution have signed Nigerian midfielder Alhassan Yusuf from Belgian club Royal Antwerp FC for an undisclosed fee, signing the 24-year-old as part of their season-ending injury-related transfer. Yusuf, a TAM-eligible player, will take up a spot on the international roster and has a contract through the 2027 Major League Soccer season, with a club option for 2028. Yusuf will join the Revolution subject to the receipt of his P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC).
- The 24-year-old defensive midfielder has made a total of almost 200 appearances for the senior national teams of Belgium and Sweden.
- Began his career from 2018 to 2021 at Swedish Allsvenskan club IFK Göteborg, where he was named Allsvenskan Newcomer of the Year 2019.
- Winner of the Belgian First Division Championship (2022–23), the Belgian Cup (2023) and the Belgian Super Cup (2023–24) with Royal Antwerp FC.
- In 2024, he was called up seven times for the Nigerian national team, including three times at the last Africa Cup of Nations en route to second place.
- After the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, he was awarded the Order of the Niger, one of the country’s highest honours.
#80 Al-Hassan Yusuf
Full name: Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi Pigui MO
Pronunciation: ALL-HATE-CREAM YOO-SUFF
Position: Central midfield
Height: 5’9″ (approx. 1.75 m)
Weight: 145 pounds.
Hometown: Nigeria
Birth date: 18.07.2000 (24)
How purchased: Transfer from Royal Antwerp (BEL) for an undisclosed fee on August 12, 2024.
