Bamidele Yusuf sent off vs AC Milan: What it means for his Super Eagles dream

Bamidele Yusuf could miss several UEFA Europa League matches after his straight red card during Ferencváros’ historic 2-0 victory over AC Milan at San Siro on Thursday night.

The Super Eagles forward was dismissed in the 77th minute after a VAR review showed him elbowing Milan defender Mario Gila in the face during an off-the-ball confrontation.

Yusuf had entered the game just 11 minutes earlier, replacing Lenny Joseph, who scored both goals in Ferencváros’s impressive victory.

The 25-year-old’s dismissal means he will automatically miss the Hungarian champions’ next Europa League League Phase fixture against Celje on November 26.

However, the punishment could be more severe. UEFA’s disciplinary regulations allow its control, ethics and disciplinary body to impose additional matches for violent conduct, potentially extending Yusuf’s suspension to two or three games.

The former Vojvodina attacker has since accepted responsibility for his actions, apologising in a statement on X.

Yusuf explained that his reaction followed alleged insults from Gila towards Ferencváros and their travelling supporters, with the Milan defender reportedly describing the Hungarian club as a ‘small team’. Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze missed the encounter after suffering an injury that required surgery.

Despite losing a player in the closing stages, Ferencváros held on to secure their fourth consecutive Europa League victory. The result helped the Hungarians maintain their perfect record in the competition.

Bamidele Yusuf: Super Eagles opportunity despite European suspension

Yusuf’s dismissal comes at an important stage of his career as he attempts to earn his first invitation to the Nigerian national team.

The Jos-born forward has yet to make his Super Eagles debut, partly because his previous clubs competed outside Europe’s most closely followed leagues and Nigeria have several established attacking options.

Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Victor Boniface, Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon are among the players competing for places in Eric Chelle’s forward department.

However, Yusuf’s performances for Ferencváros have made it increasingly difficult to overlook him.

The Nigerian has registered nine goals and three assists across competitions this season, taking his goal contributions to 12.

His performances have reportedly earned him a place on Chelle’s monitoring list ahead of Nigeria’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Yusuf’s career has been built on several years of hard work across European football. He started at Nigerian grassroots club FC Obazz before moving to Slovakia’s Spartak Trnava in 2019, where he scored 23 goals in 93 appearances and won the Slovakian Cup.

A difficult spell at Portuguese side Estoril Praia followed, but he revived his career in Serbia with Radnički Niš and Vojvodina.

His 21 goals in 46 appearances for Vojvodina convinced Ferencváros to sign him for a reported €2.5 million in August 2025.

He has since become an important attacking figure for the Hungarian champions, scoring key European goals and helping them win the Hungarian Cup in 2026.

Although his San Siro dismissal could interrupt his European campaign, Yusuf’s performances have given him a genuine opportunity to challenge for a place in the Super Eagles.