Nigerian youngster Hafiz Ibrahim says he is enjoying his development in France as he continues his journey with Stade Reims, Afrik-Foot reports.
The 20-year-old forward joined the French club in August 2024, first playing for their reserve team in the Championnat National 3.
Before moving to France, Ibrahim had the chance to join Chelsea. The young striker even spoke with former England international Raheem Sterling, who encouraged him to sign for the Premier League club. However, Ibrahim eventually decided against the move and chose Reims instead.
His rise at the club was quick. Ibrahim made his senior debut as a substitute in a 3-1 win over Mutzig in the Coupe de France. In February 2025, he played his first Ligue 1 match, coming off the bench in a 1-0 defeat to Rennes.
Two months later, he made his first start in the Coupe de France semi-final against Cannes, scoring one goal and providing an assist in a 2-1 victory.
Despite those contributions, Reims were relegated to Ligue 2 at the end of the season.
Still, Ibrahim says he is proud of his journey; from playing football on the dusty streets of Kano to appearing at the Stade Auguste Delaune in France.
“I'm proud to play in Europe,” Ibrahim said at a pre-match press conference. “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.”
Nigeria's Ibrahim urges calm as Reims chase promotion
This season, Ibrahim has scored five goals in 19 Ligue 2 matches, although injuries have limited him to only eight starts.
The Nigerian attacker has also registered one assist, won one penalty, and missed six big chances, showing he still has room to grow.
Ibrahim admits injuries have slowed him down at times but insists he is focused on returning stronger.
“Injuries are part of football,” Ibrahim added. “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.”
Reims began the season with the clear aim of returning to Ligue 1 immediately, and that target remains possible.
The club currently sits four points behind Saint-Etienne, who occupy the second automatic promotion spot.
However, their recent form has not helped. Reims have drawn their last four league matches, and all of them ended 0–0. Ibrahim played in only one of those games.
Scoring has been a major problem, with the team’s last goal coming at the end of January.
Despite the struggles, Ibrahim is urging patience and believes results will soon improve.
“We haven’t scored a goal in four matches. In a season, there can also be more difficult periods. The important thing is to continue to commit and give everything to win matches. These are moments that happen in football. Talking about it doesn’t change much: now, we need to show results on the pitch.”
Reims will face Dunkerque on Monday night, and Ibrahim will hope to score his first league goal since his important winner against Saint-Etienne on January 24.
