Reuben Gabriel

Reuben Gabriel
Personal information
Full nameReuben Shalu Gabriel
Date of birth25 September 1990
Place of birthKaduna, Nigeria
Height1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Playing positionDefensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
Boavista
Number24
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2007–2009Kaduna United
2009–2010Enyimba International?(2)
2011–2013Kano Pillars
2013–2014Kilmarnock2(0)
2014Waasland-Beveren5(0)
2014–Boavista13(0)
National team‡
2010–Nigeria12(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:00, 14 April 2015 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 30 June 2014

Reuben Shalu Gabriel (born 25 September 1990) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays for Portuguese club Boavista F.C. and the Nigeria national team, as a defensive midfielder.

Club career

Nigeria

Gabriel was born in Kaduna. In his country he played for Kaduna United FC, Enyimba International F.C. and Kano Pillars FC.[1]

In October 2012, Gabriel was named both the Player of the Year and the National Team Player of the Year at the 2012 League Bloggers Awards (LBA), held in Lagos.[2]

Kilmarnock

On 2 April 2013, Gabriel joined Scottish Premier League side Kilmarnock as a free agent, signing a three-year contract.[3][4][5][6] On 29 November 2013 he made his debut for his new team, in a Scottish Cup tie against Dundee United where he conceded a penalty in a 2–5 away defeat.[7]

In November 2013, Reuben demanded to leave Kilmarnock in the January 2014 window.[8] In January he was released, after the club accepted his request.[9]

Waasland-Beveren

In January 2014, Reuben went on trial with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.[10] However, nothing came of it, and he joined Belgian Pro League club Waasland-Beveren on a one 1/2-year contract late in the month.[11]

International career

Gabriel made his debut for Nigeria in March 2010, in a 5–2 win against the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Previously, he was a member of the national B-team that won the 2010 WAFU Nations Cup.

Reuben scored his first international on 9 June 2012, netting the opener in an eventual 1–1 away draw against Malawi for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[12] He was called to the 23-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations,[13] being an unused player as the Super Eagles won the tournament in South Africa.

Reuben was also selected to the 2014 World Cup by coach Stephen Keshi.[14] He made his debut in the tournament on 30 June, replacing injured Ogenyi Onazi in the 59th minute of an eventual 0–2 loss against France for the round-of-16.[15]

References

  1. ↑ New players at the Nigeria national football team; West African Football, 16 January 2012
  2. ↑ "Gabriel wins LBA Player of the Year". Kick Off. 29 October 2012. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  3. ↑ Signing of Reuben Gabriel completed; Kilmarnock's official website
  4. ↑ "Kilmarnock sign Nigeria midfielder Reuben Gabriel". BBC Sport. 2 April 2013. Archived from the original on 5 April 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  5. ↑ "Midfielder Reuben Gabriel set to make debut for Kilmarnock". Goal.com. 2 April 2013. Archived from the original on 6 April 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  6. ↑ "Midfielder Kilmarnock sign Gabriel Reuben and Papa Idris on three-year deals". STV. 2 April 2013. Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  7. ↑ "Dundee United 5–2 Kilmarnock". BBC Sport. 29 November 2013. Archived from the original on 29 November 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "Nigeria's Gabriel Reuben demands to leave Kilmarnock". BBC Sport. 27 November 2013. Archived from the original on 30 November 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  9. ↑ "Nigerian Gabriel Reuben released by Kilmarnock". BBC Sport. 2 January 2014. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  10. ↑ "Super Eagles midfielder Reuben Gabriel begins trials with Tottenham Hotspurs". Nigeria Watch. 18 January 2014. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  11. ↑ "Waasland-Beveren sign Nigeria midfielder Reuben Gabriel". BBC Sport. 23 January 2014. Archived from the original on 23 January 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  12. ↑ Reuben targets NPL title with Pillars; MTN Football, 19 June 2012
  13. ↑ Oluwashina Okeleji (10 January 2013). "Nations Cup 2013: Nigeria pick six locally-based players". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  14. ↑ "Nigeria World Cup 2014 squad". The Daily Telegraph. 2 June 2014. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  15. ↑ "France sink Super Eagles". FIFA.com. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 30 June 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.

External links