Ahmed Musa, Super Eagles captain, has returned to play for Kano Pillars FC, a team in Nigeria Professional Football League.
The former Leicester City winger has been without a club since he left Saudi Arabia Professional League outfit Al Shabab in October last year.
Before now, he had played for CSKA Moscow, Leicester City, Al-Nassr and VVV Venlo as an attacker.
Musa, 28, has 96 caps for the team as well as scored 15 goals for Super Eagles.
However, the attacking maestro who rejoined his Nigerian former club until the end of the season has been unveiled on a short-term contract.
He has formally penned a short-term deal with the four-time NPFL Champions Kano Pillars at the club’s secretariat in Kano Thursday evening.
Shortly after signing the contractual agreement form, the 2013 AFCON winner said he is back at the club to contribute his own quota up to the end of the 2020/21 NPFL season.
“I left Pillars over 10 years ago without winning the league then but now, by God’s grace, I will make a special record by leading the club to the Nigeria Professional Football League title,” he told the club official website.
In a chat with ESPN, Shehu Dikko, Chairman of League Management Company (LMC), said Musa rejoined Pillars because he wants to give back to his boyhood club.
Shehu said Musa will not be getting paid throughout his short-term deal with Kano Pillars.
“We didn’t speak much about it. Musa is someone who is more concerned about giving back to the club that made him and he is not coming here to do this for money. He is not getting paid for playing for Pillars. That is the kind of person he is,” Dikko said.
“We spoke to him about coming back home to play, and as someone who is always ready to give back, he did not hesitate
“Once the agreement was signed, the choice of which club to play for was up to him. A number of clubs wanted him. We put everything in front of him and he made the decision to go to Kano Pillars.”
The NPFL chairman said he hopes Musa’s decision will encourage other top footballers to return and play for Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) clubs.
“I think there is an embarrassment among some of these players about coming back home to play, but I hope that with a player like Musa doing it, who is not only a top player but also captain of the Super Eagles, others will feel more comfortable doing the same,” Dikko said.
“Coming back home does not mean that they cannot return to Europe, but it is better than just staying there without playing games or staying at home.
“We would like to see players like John Ogu and Godfrey Oboabona come in and take advantage of the opportunity to elongate their careers while also boosting the league. Imagine if we had someone like Vincent Enyeama come in and what the young players could learn from him.”
Head coach of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, is pleased with Ahmed Musa’s decision to rejoin Kano Pillars.
Musa, this week, signed a short-term deal with the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) side.
However, the winger is expected to leave if he receives offers from Europe.
Musa has not had a club since he left Saudi Arabia Professional League side Al Shabab in October.
He almost joined Premier League side, West Bromwich Albion back in January, but the deal collapsed due to his wage demand.
“I am very happy for Ahmed Musa to be able to play again with his old club of Kano Pillars,” Rohr told journalists.
Meanwhile, Musa has spent N1 billion ($2.624 million) on scholarships for 100 students at Skyline University for 4 years. The average total session tuition per student is N2.5 million. He gives food to prisoners and kids.
Africa Facts Zone tweeted Friday that ”Ahmed Musa built a sports complex worth N500 million ($1.312 million) in Kano, Nigeria.
”It comprises a football pitch, tennis court, a swimming pool, a hall for indoor sports, a restaurant, car parks and offices. He owns another sports facility in Kaduna State, Nigeria.’’
