Idrus Abdulahi

Idrus Abdulahi
Born	(2003-09-22) September 22, 2003 Ethiopia
Occupation	Professional footballer
Known for	Midfielder for Melbourne City, Australia youth international

Idrus Shaban Abdulahi (born 22 September 2003) is a professional footballer who most recently played as a midfielder for the A-League Men side Melbourne City. Originally from Ethiopia, he has represented Australia at youth international levels.

Early life

Abdulahi was born in Ethiopia as one of seven children. His family relocated to Melbourne, Australia, seeking refuge in 2010. He initiated his football journey with the under-10 team at Brunswick City, where he spent two years before moving to the Melbourne City Youth setup. During his secondary education, he attended Maribyrnong College and continued his development with Brunswick while being contracted to Melbourne City.

Melbourne City

Throughout the 2018–19 season, Abdulahi primarily remained an unused substitute for Melbourne City. He eventually made his first appearance at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on 26 April 2019, coming on as a substitute for Dario Vidošić in the 81st minute during a 5–0 victory against Central Coast Mariners. At 15 years and 220 days old, he became the second youngest player to debut in the A-League, narrowly missing the youngest debut record held by Teeboy Kamara (15 years, 212 days) by eight days. On 9 September, Abdulahi secured a two-year scholarship contract with Melbourne City, concluding the season with a single league appearance.

International career

Abdulahi was named in the Joeys squad for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup on 2 October 2019. He featured in all Group B fixtures, playing entire matches against both Hungary and Nigeria, contributing to Australia's progression to the knockout rounds. He started in the Round of 16 clash versus France on 7 November 2019, where Australia exited the tournament following a 4-0 defeat.