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Abdullahi Ibrahim Alhassan
Personal information
Date of birth	3 November 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth	Kano, Nigeria
Height	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Leixões
Youth career
2012–2015	F.C. Heart Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team
2016	Wikki Tourists
2016–2018	Akwa United
2017–2018	→ Austria Wien (loan)
2018–2022	Nacional
2022–2024	Beerschot
2024	Boavista
2024–	Leixões
International career‡
	Nigeria U17
2015	Nigeria U20
2017–	Nigeria
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:15, 25 December 2024 (UTC); ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 May 2019

Abdullahi Ibrahim Alhassan (born 3 November 1996), known as Mu'azzam, is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga Portugal 2 club Leixões.

Club career

Early career

Alhassan was born in Kano and grew up supporting Nigerian league giants Kano Pillars. He was a youth player for F.C. Hearts Academy and the Nigerian U-17 and U-20 youth sides. He formed an effective partnership with Kelechi Iheanacho at the U-17 level, was the joint-top-scorer in the U-17 world-cup qualifiers. He went on to successfully represent the Nigerian U-20 team in 2015.

Wikki Tourists

In late 2015, after receiving offers from teams in Belgium, England, Sweden and Croatia, Alhassan suffered an injury after trials at HNK Rijeka. After recovering, and seeking to maintain his fitness, midway through the 2015–16 NPFL season he signed a 6-month deal with the Nigeria Professional Football League side Wikki Tourists. He made his league debut in June 2016 against Kano Pillars F.C. in Bauchi. He came on as a second-half substitute to turn the game on its head by scoring two late goals against his hometown club. Already well known as the prodigy dubbed Mu'azzam around his state, the 3–1 upset loss for Pillars did not go down well with the travelling Kano supporters.^[1]

Akwa United

At the end of the 2015–16 NPFL season, Alhassan decided to follow mentor-coach Abdu Maikaba from Wikki to Akwa United F.C. as he enjoyed his ongoing development under Maikaba’s tutelage. He immediately became a focal point of his new team's attacks alongside midfield maestro Orji Sylvester Amaechi. Mu'azzam scored his first career hat-trick in April 2017 against Shooting Stars in a 4–2 win in Uyo.^[2] He had a total of 10 goals at the halfway point (May 2017) of the season,^[3] after which Akwa United negotiated an improved deal with F.C. Heart Academy to make him the highest earning player at the club and joint highest in the league alongside Super Eagles goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa.^[4]^[5] Mu'azzam provided the assist to Christian Pyagbara's goal in the 0–1 away win against Kano Pillars in a well rounded performance to rouse Kano fans for a second-straight year.^[6] He went on to win the April 2017 League Bloggers Awards for Player of the month alongside his mentor-coach Maikaba.

Austria Wien

Alhassan signed on a one-year loan with a three-year extension option with FK Austria Wien on 25 August 2017.

Nacional

In 2018, Alhassan joined Portuguese club Nacional.

Beerschot

In the summer of 2022, Alhassan signed a two-year contract with Beerschot in Belgium.^[7]

Return to Portugal

On 4 July 2024, Alhassan returned to Portugal and signed a two-year deal with Boavista.^[8] Alhassan left the club on 1 September 2024, as Boavista was unable to lift the ban on registering new players by the end of the transfer window.^[9] He subsequently joined Leixões.^[10]

International career

Alhassan has represented Nigerian youth teams at the U-17 and U-20 level. He was part of the Nigeria at the CAF U-20 Championship 2015. He made four appearances as the Nigerian team went on to win the championship.^[11] In May 2017, he was called up to the Nigeria national football team.^[12]