Reuben Gabriel

Reuben Shalu Gabriel MON (born 25 September 1990) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for .

Reuben Gabriel

Personal information
Full name	Reuben Shalu Gabriel
Date of birth	(1990-09-25) 25 September 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth	Kaduna, Nigeria
Height	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2007–2009	Kaduna United	75	(2)
2009–2010	Enyimba International	44	(1)
2011–2013	Kano Pillars	67	(1)
2013–2014	Kilmarnock	3	(0)
2014	Waasland-Beveren	5	(3)
2014–2016	Boavista Porto	36	(1)
2016	AS Trenčín	11	(1)
2017–2019	KuPS	38	(7)
2019	Najran	12	(4)
2019–2020	Abha	16	(1)
2020–2021	Al-Fayha	35	(2)
2021	Al-Ain	0	(0)
2024-2025	Shabab Sahel	22	(1)
International career‡
2010–2014	Nigeria	12	(0)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Nigeria Africa Cup of Nations Winner 2013 South Africa
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 November 2018 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 30 June 2014

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

• Member of the Order of the Niger^[17]

Individual

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