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Reuben Shalu Gabriel MON (born 25 September 1990) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays 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] He made his debut for his new team on 29 November, 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] He was released in January, 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 side Waasland-Beveren on a one-and-a-half-year contract late in the month.[11]

Al-Ain

On 3 September 2021, Gabriel joined Al-Ain.[12]

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.[13] He was called to the 23-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations,[14] 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.[15] He made his debut in the tournament on 30 June, replacing injured Ogenyi Onazi in the 59th minute of an eventual 0–2 loss to France for the round-of-16.[16]

Honours

Orders

Individual

  • Veikkausliiga Player of the Month: September 2017[18]

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 Archived 6 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine; Kilmarnock FC, 2 April 2013
  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. 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 News. 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. ^ "#روبن".
  13. ^ Reuben targets NPL title with Pillars Archived 25 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine; MTN Football, 19 June 2012
  14. ^ Okeleji, Oluwashina (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.
  15. ^ "Nigeria World Cup 2014 squad". The Daily Telegraph. 2 June 2014. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  16. ^ "France sink Super Eagles". FIFA. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 30 June 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  17. ^ Okeleji, Oluwashina (13 February 2013). "Presidential reward for Super Eagles". Sport. BBC. Lagos. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  18. ^ Ruben Gabriel Veikkausliigan kuukauden pelaaja, JPY, 11 October 2017

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