An 18-year-old Nigerian football player from a rustic town in Bauchi State, Zadok Yohanna, has made his debut appearance in the English Premier League (EPL) after he signed a five-year deal with the Brighton and Hove Albion football club.
The Nigerian youngster from Bar town in the Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi State recently signed a deal to join the EPL after he made an impressive performance at AIK Stockholm in Sweden.
On 6 June 2026, the young professional athlete reacted to his recent move to the English Premier League on his official Facebook account.
“Yesterday, I traded Solna for London, uncertainty for opportunity. Sitting alone in that private jet, nervous energy coursing through my veins… I knew this was it.
“The moment I take a leap into the unknown and chase my Premier League dream with Brighton and Hove Albion FC,” Yohanna stated.
Zadok Yohanna, then and now
He also expressed his appreciation, “Gratitude to my manager, my support system, and everyone believing in me. The journey’s just begun.”
Responding to questions from the press, the youngster expressed his emotions and excitement over his move to the English Premier League.
When asked why he was excited, the player said, “I am really happy, that’s why, because I know where I came from. I want to make my family proud which I did.”
When again asked how his family felt with the news of his signing in the Premier League, he responded, “They’re really happy. They’re so happy.”
Yohanna during a phone call to his parents.
The highly-rated winger signed a five-year deal keeping him at the English club until June 2031, beating out intense competition from top European clubs like Chelsea and Newcastle United.
The right winger, left footed football professional left his family home at Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro in Bauchi State, Nigeria at the age of 12 or 13 to chase his football dream.
He started playing in one of the grassroots local football academies in Kaduna State, Nigeria where he was scouted and signed by the Swedish top-flight club AIK Stockholm on 29 June 2025.
At Sweden, he quickly adapted and had a breakthrough start to the 2026 Allsvenskan season where he made 18 total appearances across league and cup fixtures for AIK, registering five goals and four assists.
This explosive achievement caught the attention of major clubs across Europe, including German sides Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, Chelsea and New Castle United, before Brighton ultimately secured his signature.
Yohanna, the promising young star.
Yohanna’s career is an incredible journey and proof that hard work, dedication, and persistence can change a person’s life overnight.
While it is a testament to the saying, “Heaven help those who help themselves,” his ascent has been one of football’s most extraordinary recent breakthroughs that happened one year ago, when he was playing grassroots non-league football at the Ikon Allah Football Academy in Kaduna, Nigeria.
Expressing his appreciation, the excited young player of Zaar (Sayawa) ethnic group from Ikon Allah Academy thanked his team manager and team mates.
“Gratitude to my manager, my support system, and everyone believing in me. The journey’s just begun,” the young promising star noted.
He is primarily deployed as an inverted right winger and is described as a dynamic attacking threat. Yohanna’s standout attributes include blistering pace and sharp bursts of acceleration; exceptional close control and high-success rate in one-on-one dribbling and a refined left foot that allows him to cut inside from the right flank to shoot or create chances in the final third.
Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler expressed hope to work well with the new club player, who has made a remarkable debut at AIK Stockholm.
The Nigerian player is expected to start playing in the club from June 15, when the player exchange market will open.
