The year 2016 has been historic in Rwandan football in a number of ways. This is the year when the country hosted the continent’s second biggest football event, the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN), during which it reached the quarterfinal stage for the first time. 

2016 also saw many Rwandan footballers take crucial steps in their careers, with some joining top regional best clubs on record transfer fees while others joining Europe’s semi-professional leagues.

They include former Police striker Jacques Tuyisenge who joined 15-time Kenyan Premier League champions Gor mahia in February in a reported US$40,000 (about Rwf30m) deal before former AS Kigali striker Ernest Sugira sealed a $130,000 (about Rwf102.7m) move to DR Congo’s AS Vita club in May.

In July, APR midfielder Jean Claude Iranzi, Police midfielder Rachid Kalisa, and right back Fitina Ombalenga of SC Kiyovu, joined Slovakia third division side MFK Topvar Topoľčany, each signing an 18 months contract.

But this year also saw many young talents rising through the ranks to becoming stars in local football. Among those include APR’s last season top scorers 22-year old Muhadjiri Hakizimana and Police’s Dany Usengimana, 20, with each scoring 16 goals, as well as Rayon Sports’ duo of Savio Nshuti, 20, last season’s young player of year, and 18-year old attacking midfielder Djabel Imanishimwe.

Today’s Saturday Sport profiles Imanishimwe, a new kid on block who is primed for stardom.  

Compared to Arsenal and Germany’s star Mesut Ozil, the teenager made his topflight debut midway through the 2015/16 season.

Imanishimwe is a unique player and at such a tender age, he is truly one of the up and coming stars of the game. In his short time at Rayon Sports, which snapped him up at the start of the 2014/15 season as a free agent after second division side Isonga released him, he’s now a regular starter in Masudi Djuma’s team that is currently at the summit of the national football league.

This week Saturday Sport’s Geoffrey Asiimwe had a one-on-one interview with the youngster, who recounted his fairy tale rise to the country’s football stardom. Profile, early days

Born on May 10, 1998 in Kiramuruzi Sector, Gatsibo District in Eastern Province to Suleiman Ngwabijabahizi and Yasina Mukademokorasi, Imanishimwe is the first born in the family of five – three boys and two girls.

He attended his primary education at Gakenke Primary School in his home district Gatsibo before joining Gakoni Secondary School – also in Gatsibo – for his Ordinary Level education.

After completing Senior Three, Imanishimwe was given a scholarship (thanks to his football talent) by Kayonza-based Ecole Secondaire de Rukara in 2012 for his Senior Four, offering computer science.

A year later, St. Patrick Secondary School of Kigali’s Kicukiro District came calling, and he joined the school for his Senior Five.

He was shortly after spotted by Isonga FC, who he would later help to a promotion to the country’s top flight football division.

But, before he could even complete Senior Five, he was scouted and successfully ‘recruited’ by Ecole Secondaire Espanya in Nyanza, where he completed his Senior Five.

But his talent would soon attract the attention of giants Rayon Sports. Coincidentally, it was around this same time that Isonga released him despite having played a part in the team’s elevation to the country’s top division.

He moved to Rayon, who were at the time based in Nyanza.

However, the blues soon after moved back to Kigali and so did Imanishimwe.

This, he says, made it virtually impossible for him to continue with his studies at Espanya.

He says he made a decision to suspend his schooling to first hone his football skills with one of the country’s top clubs, but insists he has now made up his mind and will return to school next year.

Today, the teen sensation is a regular starter for the blues.

The soft-spoken youngster is a fan of English premier league giants Arsenal and La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid and looks up to Germany international Mesut Ozil, while his best football player of all-time is Frenchman Zinedine Yazid Zidane, the current head coach of Madrid. Father’s playing career cut short

Football runs deep in Imanishimwe’s family.  His father, Ngwabijabahizi, was a footballer that played for former Gicumbi-based top flight league side Zebras FC that ceased to exist in 2007.

Ngwabijabahizi’s football career was brought to a premature end after sustaining a horrific injury.

"I started playing football when I was too young and I think it is a talent I picked up from my father,” says Imanishimwe, who captained most of his former school teams, including in primary.

Despite preferring number 10 as his favourite position on the pitch, the fast-rising star grew up playing as a holding midfielder.

"I grew up playing in midfield positions until 2013 when I joined Isonga FC, Yves Rwasamanzi (the Isonga coach and currently an assistant coach with APR) was the first coach to tell me that I can be a good forward and I  started playing as a winger.”

Asked about what he thinks was his breakthrough moment, the youngster points to the time year (2012) he joined Ecole Secondaire de Rukara, largely thanks his talent. While there, he recalls, Sec Academy conducted a talent detection programme in Eastern Province, and he, along with seven other teens, was selected and subsequently moved to Kigali for trials.

‘Most crushing moment’

After the final trials that were conducted by former Rayon Sports head coach Sosthene Habimana (now Musanze FC head coach), only him and Japhari (now with Pepiniere FC) were retained.  "I only spent three months at Sec and then joined Isonga FC thanks to the former U-17 Amavubi head coach Richard Tardy,” he recalls

Imanishimwe joined Isonga (which was comprised of teenagers that had historically participated in the 2011 World Cup in Mexico) in the second round of 2013/14 second division league.

However, he struggled to nail down a starting place in the team.

"It was not easy for to settle in because I found a team was more like a family, so penetrating into it and get a place was tough, but I worked hard and began to play more regularly towards the end of the season,” Imanishimwe recalls.

That season he helped Isonga get promoted to the top flight football. However, head coach Rwasamanzi was sacked and replaced by Innocent Seninga (currently head coach of Police FC), who went on to advise the youngster to look for another club as he did not have him in his plans for top flight football.

"He probably did not find me good enough and told to find another team, this was the most crushing moment I had in my playing days because I had started to believe in myself and chasing my dream,” he says.

Dream move to Rayon

But it was a blessing in disguise. Soon after, Rayon Sports’ head coach at the time, Habimana, snapped him up.

"Rayon were the team that I always dreamt of playing for since I was a kid and when I joined them, they had a lot of senior players like Abouba Sibomana and Karim Mckenzie Nizigiyimana, and I immediately knew I needed to work hard to earn my place in the team,” he explains.

Imanishimwe had to wait for long before getting a contract, until when Congolese coach Andy Mfutira was named the head coach towards the 2014/15 season and was impressed with the teenager’s skills, thus giving him a contract.

"However, for the whole of the second round of that season, I did not get a chance to play until the start of 2015/16 season when French coach David Donadei came in; he believed in me and gave me a chance until I became a regular starter.”

National duty

Imanishimwe is yet to make his maiden cap for the national football senior team Amavubi. However, he has featured for the junior sides four times. His first get a call-up was in 2013 during the Africa U-17 championship qualifiers before taking part in the 2016 CAF U-20 championship qualifiers.

Best and worst moments

"My best moment was last season when we defeated APR 4-0 in the league, it a memorable day for me because I played the whole game.  My worst moment was in 2013 when Isonga released me, for a moment I thought my career ended.”

Future ambition

"My dream is play in Europe four years from now, I want to play football at the highest level.”

Appreciation

"My appreciation, first and foremost, go to my parents, they have really supported in my whole journey until today, and don’t miss watching me play every match day.  Others are my former coaches Rwasamanzi, Jean Baptiste Kayiranga and my current coach Djuma Masudi. They have shaped me and made me who I am today.”

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