Justin Shaibu


Justin Kwabena Shaibu is a Danish professional footballer who last played for English club Boreham Wood as a forward. He began his senior career at HB Køge and was capped by Denmark at youth level.

Club career

HB Køge

A forward, Shaibu began his career at Vallensbæk IF, before joining the academy at Danish 1. division club HB Køge at the age of 14. He won his maiden call into the first team squad for a league match versus Horsens on 31 August 2014 and went on to make 9 appearances during the 2014–15 season. Shaibu won the club's Talent of the Year award for the 2014 calendar year. Shaibu played predominantly for the U19 team during 2015–16 and in a season disrupted by injuries he still managed 12 first team appearances and was rewarded with a new three-year contract midway through the campaign. He departed the Herfølge Stadion in July 2016, having made 23 appearances in two seasons.

Brentford

On 18 July 2016, Shaibu moved to England to sign a two-year B team contract at Championship club Brentford for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £40,000. He received his maiden call into the first team squad as a substitute for an EFL Cup first round match versus Exeter City on 9 August 2016 and made his debut when he replaced Emmanuel Ledesma in extra time during the eventual 1–0 defeat. After five goals in 12 appearances for the B team over the following six months, a lack of fit recognised strikers at the club meant that Shaibu made a minor breakthrough into the first team squad between February and April 2017 and he made four substitute appearances, before an ankle injury ended his season. He scored 10 goals in 18 B team appearances during the 2016–17 season and signed a new three-year contract on 5 May 2017, which saw him promoted into the first team squad for the 2017–18 season.
Shaibu's first appearance of the 2017–18 season came in an EFL Cup first round match versus AFC Wimbledon on 8 August 2017 and his entry onto the pitch during extra time was the first occasion that a fourth substitute had been utilised by Brentford in a competitive fixture. In the final minutes, he scored the first senior goal of his career to seal a 3–1 victory and the strike made him the first-ever fourth substitute to score in a competitive match in England. Shaibu continued in a substitute role, making four further appearances, before dropping out of the squad in October 2017 due to injuries. He spent much of the remainder of his contract away on loan and was released in June 2020.

Walsall (loan)

On 29 January 2018, Shaibu joined League One club Walsall on loan until the end of the 2017–18 season. He failed to score in the 14 appearances he made during his spell.

Boreham Wood (loans)

On 6 August 2018, Shaibu joined National League club Boreham Wood on loan for the duration of the 2018–19 season. He top-scored for the club, with 13 goals in 49 appearances and was a part of the 2018–19 Herts Senior Cup-winning squad. On 29 July 2019, Shaibu rejoined the club on a season-long loan and made 34 appearances and scored five goals in a campaign which culminated in a National League play-off semi-final defeat. He made 83 appearances and scored 18 goals during his two loans with the club.

International career

Shaibu won 9 caps for Denmark at U17 and U18 level and scored one goal, which came with the opener in a 2–0 U18 friendly win over Montenegro on 25 September 2014. In early October 2017, Shaibu was called into the U20 squad for two friendlies versus Sweden and appeared in both matches, scoring one goal.

Playing style

Shaibu stated that he likes "to think I play like Romelu Lukaku. I have got great pace, a lot of energy, a lot of power and I am a great finisher".

Personal life

Shaibu is of Ghanaian descent.

Honours

Boreham Wood
Individual