2019 Nigeria U17 midfielder Ibrahim Jabaar has joined Israeli side Maccabi Petah Tikva from Premier South Africa League side Stellenbosch, where he has spent the last two and half years, OwngoalNigeria.com reports.
A member of the Nigerian team that were knocked out of the 2019 U17 World Cup at the round of 16, the 20 year old made a huge impression at the South African side raking up 70 appearances.
He was named the club’s young player of the year in 2022 in recognition of his fine performances at the club, where he also sets the record of the youngest ever player in the club’s history to play 50 games and more.
Stellenbosch announced his departure with a short statement on their official website and said they wish him well in his new surroundings in Israel as he embarks on the next chapter of his career.
His new team were newly promoted to the top division in Israel after finishing as winners in the second division. The club was founded in 1912 by a group of Jewish students from Petah Tikva, who were studying in the Ottoman city of Constantinople (many of them would later serve in the Ottoman army during World War I), making it the second oldest Jewish football club in Israel after Maccabi Tel Aviv, which was formed in 1906.
Daniel Martins