SQUAD NEWS: Adi Yussuf Joins Reds
Quorn Football Club are delighted to announce the signing of former Burton Albion and Mansfield Town striker Adi Yussuf. The experienced frontman will join up with Ryan Beswick, as the pair were teammates in Leicester City’s youth set-up.
Born in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Adi would go on to represent the Taifa Stars at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations as part of four appearances for the National team. At that tournament in Egypt, Yussuf was a half time substitute in the 3-0 defeat against an Algeria side that featured former Leicester City players Islam Slimani and Riyad Mahrez.
Living in Leicester since the age of two Adi shared his love of football with his Dad, playing organised football from an early age and joining Leicester City as a junior. Although he didn’t represent the Foxes at senior level, he did enough on loan to Tamworth to earn a move to Burton Albion, where he was reunited with Leicester City teammate Billy Kee.
Yussuf made 25 appearances for “The Brewers” before moving on to Lincoln City, where he spent much of the 2013/14 season out on loan. 2014/15 saw a first signing with a Non-League side, joining Oxford City, where he scored an impressive 27 goals in 39 appearances. That prolific season earned an immediate move back to the Football League, with Mansfield Town.
Adi scored nine times in 53 appearances in League Two over a two year stretch with “The Stags” as well as stints with Crawley Town and Grimsby Town. Two years in the National League followed, firstly with Barrow, where he scored five in 21 appearances, but then with Solihull Moors, where 27 strikes brought him to the attention of the National side, and also League One Blackpool.
A successful loan spell at Wrexham ended shortly before the new ownership and cameras moved into the Racecourse with a further spell at Chesterfield in the same season as Yussuf helped the Spireites beat the Red Dragons to the playoffs by a single point.
Since then Adi has had Non-League stints with Yeovil Town, Gateshead, Brackley Town and several of Quorn’s league competitors, Banbury United, Halesowen Town, Redditch United and Kettering Town, under former Reds boss Richard Lavery.
Aside from playing, Adi keeps himself busy, coaching at Leicester City’s Academy, and promoting the fundraising activities of his own charitable endeavour. The Adi Yussuf Foundation helps and supports children based in his native Tanzania, with donations of money, clothes, equipment and meals.
“I know Billy (Kee) and Ryan (Beswick) very well, so the chance to play with them again was too good to refuse” revealed a cheerful Yussuf, “I’ve known Deen Master for a long time as well, and it just feels as though something very good is happening at the club. I know that they’ve already achieved a lot with two promotions in three years, but you just never know what might happen.”
Welcome to the Stotto Stadium Adi.