| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rabiu Ibrahim | ||
| Date of birth | March 15, 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Kano, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2007 | Gateway | ||
| 2007–2009 | Sporting CP | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2009–2010 | Sporting CP | 0 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | → Real Massamá (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2011 | PSV | 2 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007 | Nigeria U17 | 7 | (3) |
| 2009 | Nigeria U20 | 7 | (3) |
| 2011 | Nigeria U23 | 2 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 31 August 2010. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Rabiu Ibrahim (born 15 March 1991 in Kano) is a Nigerian footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder.
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In the summer of 2007, Ibrahim signed for Sporting Clube de Portugal for €450,000, in a joint ownership agreement with his previous club, Gateway FC.[1] Shortly afterwards, it was reported that Premier League sides Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal[2] were interested in signing him,[3][4] but nothing came of it.
In late 2007, the youngster was included by World Soccer in its 50 Most Exciting Teen Footballers list[5] and, in March of the following year, he was featured by InsideFutbol.com in an article on young African footballers alongside the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Mario Balotelli and John Obi Mikel.[6] In January 2009, he made Goal.com's list of 10 African Players to Watch,[7] and The Times' Football's Top 50 Rising Stars.[8]
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.[9]
In October 2009, Ibrahim twice rejected Sporting's offer of a professional contract,[10] 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,[11] but the deal never materialised due to undisclosed reasons believed to involve work permit issues.[12]
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.[13] In December, shortly after Damien Comolli was appointed director of football at Anfield, the player was again linked to Liverpool.[14]
In January 2011, Ibrahim went on trial with Eerste Divisie outfit Telstar through an investment group.[15] After performing well in an friendly game against PSV Eindhoven, described as one the best players in the match by the team's coach,[16] he was quickly offered a contract, pending a valid work permit from the Royal Dutch Football Association.[17]
However, Telstar could not afford to sign Ibrahim even with the help of private investors.[18] 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".[19] Shortly after, on 11 March 2011, he signed a three-year contract with the Eredivisie powerhouse.[20]
In December 2011, Ibrahim's agent reached a mutual agreement with PSV to terminate the player's contract, due to limited first team action.[21]
Ibrahim was a member of the Nigerian 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;[22] before the tournament, he had been dubbed the new Jay-Jay Okocha,[23] 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).[24]
Aged 16, he was included in the senior team squad by German coach Berti Vogts for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations,[25] alongside U17 teammate Haruna Lukman.[26] However, a groin injury prevented him from participating in the tournament.[27]
In 2009, Ibrahim helped Nigeria win bronze in the African Youth Championship in Rwanda, scoring against the Ivory Coast and South Africa,[28][29] 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.[22] In addition to his six goals in the youth levels, he also provided many assists.[12]
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.[30][31] Siasia was appointed in November 2010.[32]