Ferencváros forward Bamidele Yusuf has revealed that Chelsea were his favourite Premier League club growing up, despite idolising former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

Yusuf made the revelation ahead of Ferencváros’ Europa League meeting with Celtic, recalling how his childhood fascination with English football shaped his footballing interests.

The Nigerian attacker grew up watching the Premier League, which has a huge following in Nigeria, with Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool among the clubs commanding significant support across the country.

Although Yusuf supported Chelsea, his favourite player was Adebayor, who enjoyed a successful spell at Arsenal between 2006 and 2009.

“I loved Emmanuel Adebayor. I watched him on television in awe, as he almost crushed defenders as an Arsenal player,” Yusuf told Hungarian newspaper Nemzeti Sport. 

Yusuf explained that Adebayor’s physical attributes and goalscoring ability made the former Togo international an ideal role model for him as a young striker.

“He was tall, strong and fast, he scored goals, and as a striker you could learn a lot from him.” 

Adebayor spent three-and-a-half years with Arsenal, scoring 62 goals and providing 18 assists in 142 appearances across all competitions, according to the report.

Despite admiring an Arsenal star, Yusuf maintained that Chelsea remained his preferred English club during his childhood.

“My favourite team was Chelsea, though. Everyone in Nigeria is crazy about English football, so as a child the Premier League was the pinnacle for me.” 

Yusuf, a product of FC Obazz, has since built a professional career across Europe, representing clubs in Slovakia, Portugal and Serbia before moving to Hungarian giants Ferencváros in 2025.

The Nigerian played an important role in Ferencváros’ progress to the Europa League league phase, scoring against Vojvodina and Trabzonspor during the qualifying rounds. 

His development in Europe has increasingly placed him on the radar of Nigerian football followers, with the versatile forward continuing to establish himself at Ferencváros.