Ali Mohammed, owner of Kaduna-based Ikon Allah Football Academy and one of the first ones to recognise Zadok Yohanna‘s potential, in an exclusive interview with Footy-Africa has opened up on the journey that transformed a little-known teenager from northern Nigeria into one of the continent’s most sought-after young talents.
After making only seven senior appearances for Swedish giants AIK Stockholm, the 18-year-old completed a reported €27 million move to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, beating off competition from some of England’s biggest clubs.
With Newcastle United and Chelsea both monitoring his progress, it was Brighton who ultimately secured the signature of one of Africa’s most exciting young prospects. But long before the headlines, transfer speculation and Premier League spotlight, Yohanna was simply a talented youngster from Bauchi State trying to find his way in football.
The first meeting
Mohammed recalls that Yohanna’s journey to professional football began with a recommendation from trusted scouts who had spotted the youngster in Bauchi.
“There was a guy who discovered him (Yohanna), so I talked to his older brother directly. He is the one that brought the boy to me,” Mohammed told Footy-Africa. “They saw him from Bauchi, they called that there is a good player in Bauchi then I spoke to them, with his senior brother direct and they brought him directly to Kaduna.”
What arrived in Kaduna was a gifted but physically underdeveloped teenager whose potential was immediately obvious:
“If you saw him at that time, he was very little, and I was shocked at how he was. I asked myself how can I start this process. I then started with him and, like a joke, he became bigger, better and stronger.”
From that moment, Mohammed made it his mission to oversee the youngster’s development both on and off the pitch.
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The academy owner revealed that Yohanna remained under his guidance for an extended period and rarely returned home as his football education accelerated:
“He did not go back home to Bauchi until I travelled personally with him to AIK and that was when…”
For Mohammed, Yohanna’s rise is not an isolated success story but part of a wider vision that has seen Ikon Allah Academy consistently expose young Nigerian talents to opportunities abroad.
Building pathways to Europe
According to Mohammed, creating opportunities for players requires relentless networking and regular engagement with clubs and scouts across Europe.
“For all the years, I use to bring agents and do programmes all year round,” he explained. “Like in a year, I use to bring several foreign clubs to Nigeria three to four times a year. I just finished one in Abuja and hopefully I will also bring in Spanish club Atletico Madrid and the same AIK and some top clubs from Europe, like ten clubs.”
Those efforts have helped establish Ikon Allah Academy as one of northern Nigeria’s most recognised football development centres.
Yet despite producing several notable players, Mohammed believes Yohanna stands apart from the rest.
Zadok Yohanna to Brighton: €30m fee + wages – Full transfer breakdown
‘There is no player like him in Africa’
When asked whether Yohanna is the greatest talent to emerge from his academy, Mohammed did not hesitate:
“Ejuke is a big player and from us too but I do not think there is a player like Yohanna in the whole of Africa. It is not possible.”
The academy owner believes the teenager possesses a rare combination of attributes that could eventually make him one of the continent’s biggest exports:
“He has all the potential it takes to be big in European football. What Yohanna, when you see him you will know he is a great player in the making.”
Mohammed then made a prediction that may sound bold today but one he is fully prepared to stand by:
“Go and write it in the newspapers, Yohanna, in the next two to three years will go for 180 million euros. Write it down, write the day and the time of this interview, and we will come back to it soon. You will call me and tell me Ikon Allah, you told me so, please remind me when the time comes.”
Zadok’s first day as a Seagull. 📸💫 pic.twitter.com/MQAwvaAvnU
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) June 8, 2026
More than a player
For Mohammed, Yohanna’s success is not solely measured by transfer fees or career milestones.
The academy owner speaks about the youngster with the affection of a father figure rather than simply a coach or mentor:
“Yohanna is a great kid, he is like a son to me, he has stayed grounded, and even with everything that was offered to him, he stayed true.”
That character, Mohammed believes, has played a major role in helping the teenager navigate the rapid rise from grassroots football in Nigeria to the Premier League in less than two years.
One new message… 📲 pic.twitter.com/Z5hMxpx3jj
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) June 6, 2026
Inspiring the next generation
Running a football academy in Nigeria comes with significant challenges, but Mohammed says Yohanna’s success validates years of sacrifice and hard work.
“It is not easy running an academy, the boys have to be disciplined, and sometimes we have to deny them some rights so that they can focus on football. We have a lot of talents in our team and Yohanna’s success can only inspire them to do better than him. Like I said, in two to three years, he will be the best player in Africa.”
For now, that prediction remains a bold one. But if Yohanna’s journey from Bauchi to Brighton is anything to go by, few would bet against Ali Mohammed being proven right once again.
