Alhassan Abubakar

Alhassan Abubakar's path to professional football began far from a traditional academy setup: schooled in the game with local teams and the youth club Khalid Stars in Kumasi, he moved to Accra for boarding school before a scholarship took him to the United States. At the University of Dayton he was named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and later won the conference championship with the Flyers. A season with Michigan Bucks in the PDL brought the same recognition at a higher level, being named the league's Defender of the Year as the club won the championship.

He entered the professional game when Columbus Crew SC picked him fifth overall in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. After a loan spell at Pittsburgh Riverhounds, he established himself at Crew, making 35 appearances before a loan move to Colorado Rapids in 2019 turned permanent later that year. He spent five seasons in Colorado, twice named the club's Defender of the Year.

Abubakar joined FC Dallas as a free agent in December 2024, signing a two-year deal with a club option attached. He scored his first goal for the club against Portland Timbers in August 2025. Ghana called him up at U-20 level, though he has not featured for the senior Black Stars side.