Hafiz Umar Ibrahim: Chelsea reject receives first call-up for French Ligue 1 game

Six months after a failed move to Premier League giants Chelsea, talented Nigerian striker Hafiz Umar Ibrahim received his first-ever call-up for a French Ligue 1 game as Stade de Reims suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of AS Saint-Étienne at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Saturday.

The 19-year-old has to wait for his debut in the French top flight as he was a non-playing substitute against Les Verts.

Having impressed with the Stade de Reims youth team, Hafiz was promoted to the first team for the trip to Saint-Étienne.

He made his professional debut in a Coupe de France match against Still Mutzig, playing the last twenty-eight minutes of a 3-1 win three days before Christmas.

The Ojodu City Academy product has put his failed move to Chelsea behind him, following a series of impressive performances for the Reims youth team.

In seven outings in the Championnat National 3 - the fifth tier of French football - he has scored eight goals. 

After making a splash at the Viareggio Cup, where he won the top scorer award with ten goals in six matches, he attracted interest from one of the rising forces of Scandinavian football, Bodo/Glimt as well as Chelsea. 

Chelsea decided not to offer a contract to Hafiz as the signing of the player did not align with the club's recruitment strategy, while Bodo/Glimt claimed that he was a better fit for the attacking midfield or number 10 role, instead of playing as a traditional center forward.

The Nigeria U20 coaching staff will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on Hafiz's performance in the lead-up to the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations, starting in April.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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