Nigerian international Suleman Shaibu, a goalkeeper who plies his trade with TP Mazembe, has been in the news recently because of his goal-scoring skills despite being behind the sticks.
Shaibu, a 22-year-old Nigerian goalkeeper, has also become a striker for the club with his goal-scoring skills after the club was banned by FIFA from signing players.
The Nigerian became an outfield player when FIFA, the global football body, banned TP Mazembe and some other clubs from registering new players over breaches in players’ contracts.
This led to him becoming a striker, as the club was unable to register new players, and the club had confidence in him to take on the point man’s role.
He came on for his first game as a striker against Don Bosco in the 65th minute of the game in October 2024.
Since then, he has netted over seven times in games and also had assists in 15 matches while playing as a substitute in 13 games.
The Kano-born goalkeeper-turned-striker said the club and the fans thought it was a joke when he offered to switch.
Shaibu, in a TheCable report, said that many people did not have faith in him to play as a striker.
The Kano-born player revealed that when he initially suggested switching to an outfield position, many within the club dismissed the idea as a joke. He explained that while he was confident in his abilities, most people around him could not imagine a goalkeeper excelling in a striking role.
Shaibu noted that the FIFA ban on new signings had left the team with limited options, especially in attack, as some key players had departed and the only remaining striker was struggling to score. Seeing the situation, he approached the coach and proposed the idea of training as a forward. He recalled telling the coach that, given the lack of options, he was willing to step up and play in attack if given the opportunity.
“Apart from the FIFA ban, some of our players also left, and we were left with one striker who was having a goal drought,” he told the online medium. “So I just told the coach I would also like to play as a forward, maybe until January when they would be able to register a new player.”
To his surprise, the coach accepted the idea without hesitation. During the next training session, Shaibu discovered that his usual goalkeeper’s jersey had been replaced with an outfield player’s kit in the dressing room.
At first, both his teammates and fans viewed the move with skepticism, believing that a goalkeeper had little to contribute in an attacking role. However, Shaibu remained undeterred, explaining that he had always believed in his ability to play as a striker and only needed a chance to prove himself on the pitch.
“At first, it was kind of a joke for them—for most of the players and most of the spectators—because they believed I was a goalkeeper and had nothing to offer,” he added. “They never saw it coming. But to me, it was something normal. It was not something I was afraid to do. All I needed then was just a chance to prove that I could also play.”
Looking ahead, the Nigerian star is ambitious about his football career. He expressed a strong desire to represent the Super Eagles and is open to moving to another league if he continues to perform well.
Shaibu stated that if he manages to score between 10 and 15 goals in the current season but does not get enough playing opportunities in the next, he would consider transferring to a different club.
Hesaid: “If I score 10–15 goals this season and I come back next season and they don’t give me enough opportunities to play, definitely, I’ll look for more opportunities in other African leagues, especially in North Africa, before looking at a European move.”(Guardian)
