Nigerian forward Hafiz Ibrahim says he is relishing his development at Stade Reims, describing his journey from the streets of Kano to professional football in France as a dream rapidly becoming reality, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The 20-year-old joined the French club in August 2024, initially turning out for their reserve team in the Championnat National 3 before forcing his way into senior contention.
Ibrahim’s path to Reims was not straightforward. He had the opportunity to join Chelsea and even held talks with former England international Raheem Sterling, who urged him to sign for the Premier League club. He ultimately chose Reims instead, a decision he has not regretted.
His rise within the squad was swift. Ibrahim made his senior debut as a substitute in a 3-1 Coupe de France win over Mutzig before making his Ligue 1 bow off the bench in a 1-0 defeat to Rennes in February 2025. Two months later, he started the Coupe de France semi-final against Cannes, scoring one goal and providing an assist in a 2-1 victory.
Despite Reims’ relegation to Ligue 2 at the end of that season, the Nigerian attacker remained upbeat.
“I’m proud to play in Europe. It was a dream. Everything is happening very quickly in my development, which makes the experience even more exciting. I’m working hard on myself to keep improving, becoming better, and scoring as many goals as possible,” he said at a pre-match press conference.
This season, Ibrahim has scored five goals in 19 Ligue 2 appearances, though injuries have restricted him to only eight starts. He has also registered one assist, won a penalty and missed six big chances, indicating there remains room for growth.
“Injuries are part of football. The most important thing is how you come back. You have to maintain the right mentality to get back in shape and help the team. At the club, everyone works hard, and we push each other to improve,” he said.
Reims began the campaign with promotion back to Ligue 1 as their primary objective, and that target remains alive. However, the club currently trail Saint-Etienne, who occupy the second automatic promotion spot, by four points, and have drawn their last four league games — all 0-0.
Ibrahim, who featured in only one of those matches, knows results must change, but is urging his teammates to stay patient.
“We haven’t scored a goal in four matches. In a season, there can be more difficult periods. The important thing is to continue to commit and give everything to win matches. Talking about it doesn’t change much: now, we need to show results on the pitch,” he said.
Reims face Dunkerque on Monday, with Ibrahim looking to end a personal goal drought that stretches back to his winner against Saint-Etienne on January 24.
