Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here During the confinement period, you can access PSG TV Premium for free and enjoy all this season's match videos. Learn more You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience Paris Saint-Germain are pleased to announce the signing of Hugo Ekitike from Stade de Reims The French striker has joined on loan until the end of the season Hugo Ekitike started playing football at the age of five at FC Cormontreuil before joining the Stade de Reims academy in 2013 The 1m89 player signed his first professional contract with his first club in the summer of 2020 He played his first professional minutes in a Reims shirt in October 2020 against FC Lorient The new Parisian signing spent six months with Danish club Vejle BK Hugo Ekitiké returned to Stade de Reims and scored 11 goals in 27 matches in all competitions The 20-year-old striker was selected for the French U20 team and won the last Maurice Revello International Tournament and was also called up to the U-21 squad last season The 19-year-old has scored eight goals in the first half of the Ligue 1 season for Reims marking him out as one of France's brightest talents If you're planning a football-based quiz to pass the time with family and friends around the New Year period then one question sure to stump any supporters who do not follow Ligue 1 closely is: 'Who is the top scoring teenager in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues through the first half of the 2021-22 season?' Nineteen-year-old Ekitike may not yet be a household name outside of his native France but the form he has shown in the opening months of the campaign suggests that he soon will be Ekitike's breakthrough marks the latest step on a journey that began when he was around 10 years old and playing for local amateur side Cormontreuil on the outskirts of Reims the youngster was invited to holiday with the family of his football coach Jean-Philippe at their mobile home in the region of Allier we opened the cupboards and found a Stade de Reims jacket," recalls Nano to GOAL "The kids tried it on; it was too big for my son he signed a non-solicitation agreement to join the Reims academy." who coached Ekitike as an Under-7s player all the way up to U12s had been telling his young charge that he would be signed by the former European Cup finalists for quite some time instead just focusing on becoming the best player he could be he scored a lot of goals without ever getting carried away," Nano explains he would never be able to say how many goals he had scored in a tournament "He was a winner who didn't show off always listening to improve himself but not to be the number one if he could make a pass despite being in front of the goal because he knew that it was the most intelligent choice." Check out football's best wonderkids with NXGN: Nano adds: "They must have been fed up with Hugo scoring goals every time their teams came to play against us!" Ekitike is now a key member of the Reims attack with his eight goals in 17 Ligue 1 games including strikes against Marseille and Lyon while he has also provided three assists for team-mates He has undoubtedly been one of the breakout stars in France's top flight so far this season with his emergence coming just a matter of months since he took the brave move to head on loan to Denmark in search of first-team football Ekitike made his Reims debut in October 2020 but after appearing in just one further game during the first half of the season where he would get the chance to pit himself against experienced defenders who have played European football rather than those he was coming up against in the French fourth tier for Reims' reserve side The spell in Scandinavia went well for Ekitike who scored three goals and provided two assists in his 11 games (seven of which were starts) though it was a move that almost did not happen when he a club representative and his agent were turned away at Copenhagen airport in January Denmark was in lockdown and not allowing travellers from abroad into the country with Ekitike only allowed to enter after a high-ranking army officer who happened to support Vejle intervened albeit under the proviso that his agent departed after 48 hours I'll manage'," a source close to Ekitike tells GOAL even though he was arriving in a country with health restrictions Described as being down-to-earth but single-minded by those close to him Ekitike lives a lifestyle that belies his rising profile in the world of football you are not going to see him go to Dubai," one of Ekitike's close friends tells GOAL spend time with his grandparents and take time for himself to think "He also watches what is trendy on TV He has just started Game of Thrones after finishing Breaking Bad too." stating that he is out to replicate Kylian Mbappe as much as possible "That's what it means to be a top-level player and that's what I aspire to become," he told Foot Mercato when discussing the Paris Saint-Germain star and not necessarily only on the pitch." Mbappe scored 15 goals in his first full Ligue 1 season at Monaco in 2016-17 although he was a year younger than Ekitike is now there are some similarities in their games particularly when it comes to Ekitike's desire to cut inside from the left and curl shots past despairing goalkeepers with his right foot the France U20 international possesses a smooth running style "He has the mentality of Kobe Bryant in a 19-year-old's body," one of Ekitike's friends says "If you tell him he's only got 10 minutes left in a game Ekitike is also keen to appraise his own displays with his performance when coming off the bench against PSG back in August one he was particularly unhappy with so much so he went home that evening to review his own performance with one incident where he lost the ball to Marquinhos making him feel particularly "stupid" Ekitike will be out to put that right when Reims take on the Ligue 1 leaders again on January 23 and he will do so as a player who has become one of Europe's hottest teenage strikers in the meantime have been warned - if they do not know who Hugo Ekitike is already For more on the world's best young ballers, follow NXGN on Instagram and TikTok.