Rabiu Ibrahim
Encyclopedia
Rabiu Ibrahim is a Nigeria
n footballer who plays for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands
, as an attacking midfielder.
450,000, in a joint ownership agreement with his previous club, Gateway FC
. Shortly afterwards, it was reported that Premier League sides Chelsea
, Liverpool
, Manchester United
, and Arsenal
were interested in signing him, but nothing came of it.
In late 2007, the youngster was included by World Soccer in its 50 Most Exciting Teen Footballers list and, in March of the following year, he was featured by InsideFutbol.com in an article on young Africa
n footballers alongside the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor
, Mario Balotelli
and John Obi Mikel
. In January 2009, he made Goal.com
's list of 10 African Players to Watch, and The Times
' Football's Top 50 Rising Stars.
With Sporting, Ibrahim participated in the 2008 Bellinzona
Under-19 International Tournament, with the Portuguese
eventually winning the trophy. In the competition, in which he was eventually voted as the best player, he was deployed as a classic number 10 in a 4–2–3–1 system
. One year later, he again led the Lisbon
powerhouse to the final stage of the same tournament.
In October 2009, Ibrahim twice rejected Sporting's offer of a professional contract, and was at that time sent on loan to Real Sport Clube
in the third division
. In January 2010, he drew interest from prominent Scottish Premier League
club Celtic
, but the deal never materialised due to undisclosed reasons believed to involve work permit issues.
In the summer of 2010, Ibrahim left Sporting as a free agent
. Subsequently, Dutch
side VVV-Venlo tried to sign him in partnership with a UK
-based consortium, but the negotiations broke down due to financial issues. In December, shortly after Damien Comolli
was appointed director of football
at Anfield
, the player was again linked to Liverpool.
In January 2011, Ibrahim went on trial with Eerste Divisie
outfit Telstar through an investment group. After performing well in an friendly game
against PSV Eindhoven, described as one the best players in the match by the team's coach, he was quickly offered a contract, pending a valid work permit from the Royal Dutch Football Association
.
However, Telstar could not afford to sign Ibrahim even with the help of private investors. Subsequently, he went on trial with PSV, scoring twice in a 2–0 win against the club's B-team in a practice match. The club's manager, Fred Rutten, said of the player: "Ibrahim is fast, technically skilled, physically strong and has a good sense of field position, there is something in that boy". Shortly after, on 11 March 2011, he signed a three-year contract with the Eredivisie
powerhouse.
under-17s in the 2007 FIFA World Cup
in South Korea
, scoring in the first match against France
, the national team that eventually won the competition; before the tournament, he had been dubbed the new Jay-Jay Okocha
, and helped the team win that year
's African U-17 Championship held in Togo
, scoring twice against Eritrea
in the group stage (8–0).
Aged 16, he was included in the senior team squad by German
coach Berti Vogts
for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, alongside U17 teammate Haruna Lukman. However, a groin
injury prevented him from participating in the tournament.
In 2009, Ibrahim helped Nigeria win bronze
in the African Youth Championship
in Rwanda
, scoring against the Ivory Coast
and South Africa
, with the national team booking a place in that year's
FIFA U-20 World Cup
, where he appeared in three matches, scoring against Germany
in the 2–3 round of 16 loss. In addition to his six goals in the youth levels, he also provided many assists
.
In the following years, Ibrahim continued to be closely watched by the senior national team's coaches, with Samson Siasia
claiming in the media in April 2010 he was one of only two players who could solve Nigeria's attacking midfield problems. Siasia was appointed in November 2010.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n footballer who plays for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, as an attacking midfielder.
Club career
In the summer of 2007, Ibrahim signed for Sporting Clube de Portugal for €Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
450,000, in a joint ownership agreement with his previous club, Gateway FC
Gateway F.C.
Gateway Football Club is a Nigerian football club, in the town of Abeokuta, in Ogun State. They returned to the top level of professional football in Nigeria, the Nigerian Premier League in 2008 after being relegated in 2005 after a one year stint...
. Shortly afterwards, it was reported that Premier League sides Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
were interested in signing him, but nothing came of it.
In late 2007, the youngster was included by World Soccer in its 50 Most Exciting Teen Footballers list and, in March of the following year, he was featured by InsideFutbol.com in an article on young Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n footballers alongside the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor
Emmanuel Adebayor
Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor is a Togolese footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur as a striker on loan from Manchester City. He plays in the same position for the Togo national team. Adebayor previously played for Metz, Monaco and Arsenal and was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2008...
, Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for English team Manchester City and the Italian national team.He started his professional football career at Lumezzane and only played for the first team twice before having an unsuccessful trial at FC Barcelona, and subsequently...
and John Obi Mikel
Mikel John Obi
John Michael Nchekwube Obinna , commonly known as Mikel John Obi, John Obi Mikel or John Mikel Obi, is a Nigerian footballer, who plays as a midfielder for English club Chelsea and the Nigeria national team.-Club career:...
. In January 2009, he made Goal.com
Goal.com
Goal.com, founded in 2004 by Chicco Merighi and former Ferrari Maserati and Ralph Lauren President and CEO Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni, is a website for international football news. Goal.com represents the largest football community in the world, with 22 language versions, covering over 200...
's list of 10 African Players to Watch, and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
' Football's Top 50 Rising Stars.
With Sporting, Ibrahim participated in the 2008 Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Bellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
Under-19 International Tournament, with the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
eventually winning the trophy. In the competition, in which he was eventually voted as the best player, he was deployed as a classic number 10 in a 4–2–3–1 system
Formation (association football)
In association football, the formation describes how the players in a team are positioned on the pitch. Different formations can be used depending on whether a team wishes to play more attacking or defensive football....
. One year later, he again led the Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
powerhouse to the final stage of the same tournament.
In October 2009, Ibrahim twice rejected Sporting's offer of a professional contract, and was at that time sent on loan to Real Sport Clube
Real Sport Clube
Real Sport Clube is a Portuguese football club situated in Queluz that competes in the Portuguese Second Division. They were founded in 1951.-Current squad:...
in the third division
Portuguese Second Division
The Portuguese Second Division is a football league in Portugal, situated at the third level of the Portuguese football league system...
. In January 2010, he drew interest from prominent Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
club Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, but the deal never materialised due to undisclosed reasons believed to involve work permit issues.
In the summer of 2010, Ibrahim left Sporting as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. Subsequently, Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
side VVV-Venlo tried to sign him in partnership with a UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based consortium, but the negotiations broke down due to financial issues. In December, shortly after Damien Comolli
Damien Comolli
Damien Comolli is the Director of Football for Liverpool. He has previously worked as a football coach and scout, with AS Monaco, AS Saint-Étienne, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. He speaks fluent English, Spanish and French.He was born in Béziers, France, and played as a youth team player at AS...
was appointed director of football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
, the player was again linked to Liverpool.
In January 2011, Ibrahim went on trial with Eerste Divisie
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...
outfit Telstar through an investment group. After performing well in an friendly game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
against PSV Eindhoven, described as one the best players in the match by the team's coach, he was quickly offered a contract, pending a valid work permit from the Royal Dutch Football Association
Royal Dutch Football Association
The Royal Dutch Football Association is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues , the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch national football team. It is based in the municipality of Zeist.The KNVB came into being on 8 December 1889...
.
However, Telstar could not afford to sign Ibrahim even with the help of private investors. Subsequently, he went on trial with PSV, scoring twice in a 2–0 win against the club's B-team in a practice match. The club's manager, Fred Rutten, said of the player: "Ibrahim is fast, technically skilled, physically strong and has a good sense of field position, there is something in that boy". Shortly after, on 11 March 2011, he signed a three-year contract with the Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
powerhouse.
International career
Ibrahim was a member of the NigerianNigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
under-17s in the 2007 FIFA World Cup
2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup
The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2007 was held in the Korea Republic between 18 August and 9 September 2007. For this event, the number of teams had been expanded from 16 to 24, with the top two of each group and the four best third-place teams advancing to the Round of 16...
in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, scoring in the first match against France
France national under-17 football team
The France national under-17 football team is the national under-17 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the annual UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship and the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is held every four years...
, the national team that eventually won the competition; before the tournament, he had been dubbed the new Jay-Jay Okocha
Jay-Jay Okocha
Augustine Azuka "Jay-Jay" Okocha is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is known for his stepovers, skill, technique, and being 'so good that they named him twice'...
, and helped the team win that year
2007 African Under-17 Championship
The 2007 African Under-17 Football Championship was the seventh edition of the CAF's African Under-17 Football Championship, held in Togo from March 10 to March 25, 2007...
's African U-17 Championship held in Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, scoring twice against Eritrea
Eritrea national football team
The Eritrea national football team is controlled by the Eritrean National Football Federation . It is nicknamed the Red Sea Boys. It has not qualified for the finals of the FIFA World Cup or the African Nations Cup...
in the group stage (8–0).
Aged 16, he was included in the senior team squad by German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
coach Berti Vogts
Berti Vogts
Hans-Hubert "Berti" Vogts is a German former footballer. He played for Borussia Mönchengladbach and won the World Cup with West Germany in 1974. He later managed Germany , Scotland and Nigeria...
for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, alongside U17 teammate Haruna Lukman. However, a groin
Groin
In human anatomy, the groin areas are the two creases at the junction of the torso with the legs, on either side of the pubic area. This is also known as the medial compartment of the thigh. A pulled groin muscle usually refers to a painful injury sustained by straining the hip adductor muscles...
injury prevented him from participating in the tournament.
In 2009, Ibrahim helped Nigeria win bronze
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the African Youth Championship
2009 African Youth Championship
The 2009 African Youth Championship is a football tournament for Under 20 players. It was held in Rwanda from the 18th of January until the 1st of February 2009....
in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, scoring against the Ivory Coast
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
and South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
, with the national team booking a place in that year's
2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, was the 17th U-20 tournament, which was hosted by Egypt from 24 September to 16 October, in the cities of Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said, Suez and Ismaïlia...
FIFA U-20 World Cup
FIFA U-20 World Cup
The FIFA U-20 World Cup, until 2005 known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association...
, where he appeared in three matches, scoring against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
in the 2–3 round of 16 loss. In addition to his six goals in the youth levels, he also provided many assists
Assist (football)
In association football, an assist is a contribution by a player which helps to score a goal. Statistics for assists made by players may be kept officially by the organisers of a competition, or unofficially by, for example, journalists or organisers of fantasy football competitions...
.
In the following years, Ibrahim continued to be closely watched by the senior national team's coaches, with Samson Siasia
Samson Siasia
Samson Siasia is a former football striker from Nigeria and the former head coach of the Nigerian Men National football team from 2010 to 2011.-Club career:...
claiming in the media in April 2010 he was one of only two players who could solve Nigeria's attacking midfield problems. Siasia was appointed in November 2010.
Country
- FIFA U-17 World CupFIFA U-17 World CupThe FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to the FIFA U-17 World Championship and known by its current name since 2007, is the world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by Fédération Internationale de Football...
: 20072007 FIFA U-17 World CupThe FIFA U-17 World Cup 2007 was held in the Korea Republic between 18 August and 9 September 2007. For this event, the number of teams had been expanded from 16 to 24, with the top two of each group and the four best third-place teams advancing to the Round of 16... - African U-17 Championship: 20072007 African Under-17 ChampionshipThe 2007 African Under-17 Football Championship was the seventh edition of the CAF's African Under-17 Football Championship, held in Togo from March 10 to March 25, 2007...
- African Youth ChampionshipAfrican Youth ChampionshipThe African Youth Championship is the main international youth football competition for CAF nations, and is competed for by under 20 year olds...
: Bronze medalBronze medalA bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
20092009 African Youth ChampionshipThe 2009 African Youth Championship is a football tournament for Under 20 players. It was held in Rwanda from the 18th of January until the 1st of February 2009....