Ayila Yussuf

Ayila Yussuf Biography / Profile

Atanda Ayila Yussuf was born on November 4th, 1984 in Lagos, Nigeria. He is a professional Nigerian football player. His main assest is his versatility, as he can play as a central defender or defensive midfielder. He played for Ukrainian Premier League side Metalist Kharkiv on loan from FC Dynamo Kyiv. A former Nigerian youth international player, Yussuf was acquired by Dynamo from Nigerian side Union Bank F.C. in 2003. Despite injuries, Yussuf has become a regular for both Dynamo Kyiv and the Nigerian national team.

Ayila Yussuf Age

Ayila Yussuf is 39 years old.

Ayila Yussuf Career

At 16 years of age, Yussuf signed his first professional contract with Enyimba International F.C. He then continued his career with Union Bank F.C. His selection in senior teams drew the attention of the youth national team coaches.

After drawing interest from clubs like PSV Eindhoven and VfB Stuttgart, Yussuf signed with FC Dynamo Kyiv in July 2003. On 5 August, he made his debut in the club's reserve team, FC Dynamo-2 Kyiv, against FC Polissya Zhytomyr. Less than two months later, on 21 September, Yussef made his senior team debut against FC Zirka Kirovohrad. A serious knee injury ended his 2003-2004 season. On 16 September 2004, he made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League for FC Dynamo Kyiv in a match against A.S. Roma. Since the second half of the 2011/2012 season, Yussuf has struggled to maintain a place in the first team and was loaned to Turkish Süper Lig side Orduspor on 31 January 2013. After a loan spell in Turkey, he still had not regained a first-team spot and played for the reserve team of Dynamo Kyiv, Dynamo-2 Kyiv. On 18 February 2014, he joined league rivals Metalist Kharkiv on a loan deal until the end of the year.

Ayila made his international debut for the Nigerian senior team in 2005. In May 2014, he was accused by doctor Leonid Mironov for being much older than stated in his official documents.

Ayila Yussuf Personal Life

In May 2013, some revelation sprung up following the controversial reports that the former Super Eagles star abandoned his wife, Gbemisola, and two kids in Ukraine and eloped with a girlfriend.

While narrating how it all happened, Ayila said, “Firstly, I’ll like to state categorically that Gbemisola is not my legal wife as widely reported. She is the mother of my two kids. We met years back and started a casual date. The trouble started when I asked her to bring my children for holiday in Ukraine. One day, while I lived with her, I opened Gbemi’s wardrobe in Ukraine and found different charms, including a snake inside a bottle filled with gin."

Ayila went on to face a prison sentence for defying a court summon to a hearing on allegation that he abandoned his wife and children in the Ukraine.