Ibrahim Said (footballer, born 2002)
Nigerian footballer (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ibrahim Muhammad Said (born 15 June 2002) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Scottish Premiership club Motherwell.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ibrahim Muhammad Said[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 15 June 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Kano, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Motherwell | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Dabo Babes Academy | |||
| 2020–2021 | Viborg | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2025 | Viborg | 97 | (9) |
| 2025– | Motherwell | 41 | (4) |
| International career | |||
| 2019 | Nigeria U17 | 4 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 00:29, 1 September 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Early years
A product of Dabo Babes Academy in Nigeria, Said gained international recognition following his strong performances at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[3]
Viborg
Despite receiving offers from other clubs, including Club Brugge and İstanbul Başakşehir,[4] and reportedly from English clubs Liverpool and Manchester City,[5] Said ultimately moved to Denmark. The 18-year-old, described by Nigerian media as the next Victor Moses,[4][6] signed a four-year contract with Danish 1st Division club Viborg FF on 21 October 2021.[7]
After a few matches with Viborg's under-19 team, Said made his official debut in the Danish 1st Division on 16 April 2021, in a 4–0 win against Esbjerg fB. He started on the bench before replacing Davit Skhirtladze in the 86th minute.[8] Said made three appearances that season, scoring one goal and helping Viborg secure promotion to the Danish Superliga for the 2021–22 season.[1] His debut in the Danish Superliga came against Nordsjælland on 18 July 2021.[9]
Starting in the 2022–23 season, Said made regular appearances for Viborg. On 28 July 2022, in a 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying match against FK Sūduva, he scored in the opening minute as the only goal in a 1–0 victory for Viborg.[10] One month later, both he and his Viborg teammate Alassana Jatta were unable to travel to England for the club's Europa Conference League play-off against West Ham United due to post-Brexit entry rules for non-EU citizens.[11] Said finished the season with six goals from 41 appearances.[12]
The following season saw fewer appearances for Said overall, and only three goals.[13] Viborg head coach Jakob Poulsen did not include Said in a Superliga match versus Silkeborg on 4 August 2024 due to a violation of team rules, though Poulsen declined to elaborate further.[14] By March 2025, Said was dropped from Viborg's lineup without explanation by the club.[15] His final appearance for Viborg came on 24 February, in a 4–1 loss to Silkeborg.[16] He finished the season with 16 appearances, unable to score any goals.[17]
Motherwell
As Viborg began preparations for the 2025–26 season, Said was not included in the lineup for a friendly match versus FC Fredericia as he was allowed to pursue interest from other clubs.[18][19] On 11 July 2025, his transfer to Scottish club Motherwell was announced by both clubs involved.[20][21] He joined on a two-year contract, with an option for an additional year.[22] On 30 December 2025, he scored his first goal for the club as Motherwell defeated Celtic 2–0.[23]
International career
Career statistics
- As of match played 30 August 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Viborg | 2020–21[1] | Danish 1st Division | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||||
| 2021–22[25] | Danish Superliga | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | 21 | 1 | |||
| 2022–23[12] | 31 | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | 5[d] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 6 | |||
| 2023–24[13] | 29 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 31 | 3 | |||||
| 2024–25[17] | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 16 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 96 | 9 | 10 | 1 | — | — | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 112 | 11 | ||
| Motherwell | 2025–26[26] | Scottish Premiership | 38 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 45 | 3 | |
| 2026–27 | Scottish Premiership | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[d] | 2 | — | 11 | 3 | ||
| Total | 41 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 137 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 169 | 17 | ||
- Appearances in the Danish Cup, Scottish Cup
- Appearances in the Scottish League Cup
- Appearance in the 2021–22 Danish Superliga European play-offs
- Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League/UEFA Conference League
Honours
Viborg