Yunus Musah: Dreams of Triumph at AC Milan and the United States National Team
AC Milan and United States national team midfielder Yunus Musah has clear and ambitious goals for next year. In an exclusive interview, Musah shared his aspirations and the path he plans to follow to achieve them.
“My closest goals and achievements are to win trophies here in Milan,” Musah declared. “This season we have the possibility of winning three trophies: Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana. I would love to win all three. And also, then, go to the national team and win more trophies as well.”
Yunus Musah
A club treble in Italy followed by the FIFA World Cup? “That’s it!”, Musah replied.
The full interview is available on the podcast “The Footballer Reporters”.
Recently, Musah was involved in a situation that generated debate. The decision not to participate in the Concacaf Gold Cup with the United States national team generated controversy. The coach, Mauricio Pochettino, explained that Musah “communicated a personal reason to us, so he needed to withdraw from the call-up.”
Musah explained his perspective: “Honestly, it hurt me a lot not being able to go to the Gold Cup. The coaches were disappointed, but in the end I had to make that decision for myself, because I needed to disconnect after a tough season. I needed that free time. Ultimately, it was to take that free period and thus be able to be in good shape to be able to continue now the whole season and be able to give the best of myself for the club and the national team.”
This decision, although criticized by some, demonstrated the importance that Musah gives to his personal well-being.
“It was a very difficult decision because people could easily say ‘everyone else is playing, why not you?’ But nobody is in my body, nobody is in my head,” Musah added. “Everyone who knows me knows that I am honest and hardworking, but when things were as they were and I couldn’t keep playing during that summer, I had to make that decision for myself.”
“No one else knows how I feel and I hope people understand my decision, and it was about taking care of myself and being able to return, ultimately, and be able to give my best during the rest of the season.”
Currently, Musah seems set to begin that task at AC Milan, despite the difficulties he has faced since Massimiliano Allegri replaced Sérgio Conceição as coach in May. Milan’s sporting director, Igli Tare, hinted that Musah “does not have the characteristics” to play in the three-man midfield preferred by Allegri, suggesting a possible departure.
However, with the focus on his permanence in Italy, Musah is optimistic.
“I am happy at Milan,” he affirmed. “It’s a great club. I would love to win big things here. It was very nice to win the Super Cup last season, so I would love to win more things. This is what we are expected to do here. I am happy here and I am looking to work hard and be an important player in the team.”Yunus Musah fue uno de varios jugadores importantes que se retiraron de la campaña de la Copa Oro de Estados Unidos para prepararse mejor para una temporada que termina con una Copa del Mundo en casa.Musah, who arrived at Milan from Valencia in 2023, has forged a special connection with his teammate Christian Pulisic. Both players from the US national team have strengthened their bond over time.
“We’ve really bonded very well since we both joined AC Milan,” Musah said. “Before that, we weren’t that close, but now I’d say we’re pretty close. I learn a lot from him every day and in matches. He’s had great seasons here. I’m learning from him. He’s a great guy, so I enjoy playing with Christian.”
Musah’s positive and measured attitude in the face of recent challenges is indicative of a player who has shown bravery beyond his years, since he rejected a new contract with Arsenal to join Valencia in 2019, at just 16 years old.
His Muslim faith is very important to him.
Musah cites Mesut Özil and Yaya Touré as inspirations while growing up watching the Premier League and remains an Arsenal fan, even being friends with several current players, including Bukayo Saka.
Musah explains that he saw a faster route to first-team football in Spain. “When I left Arsenal to go to Valencia, I told myself that if things didn’t go well, I wouldn’t think ‘what if I had gone back to Arsenal?’ I would stick to the plan until it worked,” he said.
And it worked. So much so that international teams began to circle him when he was 17, with his nomadic life up to that point creating eligibility for four nations: Ghana, the United States, England, and Italy. Musah played for four England age groups up to the under-18s, but the first contact from the USMNT came in 2020 through assistant Nico Estévez, who had connections at Valencia after eight years working at the LaLiga club. Then, Gregg Berhalter, USMNT head coach for five years in two stints, began his charm offensive.
Musah played in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and would win the U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year award that year. Berhalter has been replaced by Pochettino, who led a run to the Gold Cup final earlier this summer in the absence of Musah.Musah: Pochettino ha traído intensidad y fuego a la USMNT. Yunus Musah explica lo que Mauricio Pochettino ha aportado a la USMNT desde que asumió el cargo de entrenador en jefe.“I have a lot of affection for Gregg,” says Musah. “I am very grateful for all the opportunities. I had most of my matches with Gregg. We have a great coach again now, so I am lucky to be able to play with two great coaches. Now I am learning with Mauricio.”
And Pochettino, former coach of Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, does not shy away from the expectation of the biggest tournament of all on the horizon: next year’s men’s World Cup, organized together with Mexico and Canada.
“We, as players, go into every tournament believing we can win it,” Musah says. “That’s the beauty of football. We are a group with a lot of talent in a tournament where there are great players, great teams that are probably expected to win the tournament.”
