George Lewis (footballer, born 2000)

For other uses, see George Lewis.

George Lewis Igaba-Ishimwe Maniraguha (born 16 June 2000) is a Rwandan-born Norwegian professional footballer. He is currently a free agent.

George Lewis

Personal information
Full name	George Lewis Igaba-Ishimwe Maniraguha^[1]^[2]
Date of birth	(2000-06-16) 16 June 2000 (age 23)
Place of birth	Kigali, Rwanda^[2]
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)^[2]
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
2005–2013	Stakkevollan IF
2014	Tromsdalen
2015–2016	Tromsø
2017–2018	Tromsdalen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2016	Tromsø 3	4	(0)
2017–2019	Tromsdalen 2	35	(32)
2018–2019	Tromsdalen	3	(0)
2019–2020	Fram Larvik	2	(0)
2020–2023	Arsenal	0	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:04, 8 October 2021 (UTC)

Early life

Born in Kigali, Rwanda, Lewis moved to Tanzania at the age of one.^[3] He then moved to Norway at the age of four, starting his career at local side Stakkevollan IF, before moving to Tromsdalen, and later Tromsø in 2015.^[4][5] He mostly played for the reserve teams of both clubs, notably notching 32 goals in 35 appearances over three seasons for Tromsdalen's reserve team.^[6]

Club career

Lewis went on trial with English Premier League side Arsenal in March 2020, having previously trained with local side Solihull United, as well as Bournemouth and Ipswich Town.^[7][8][9]

Lewis joined Arsenal in August 2020, signing a professional contract].^[10] He reportedly signed a two-year deal with the North London club.^[3] The move was seen as a surprise, as Lewis had only played in the Norwegian second and third divisions, and had no youth international caps.^[7][11]

He scored in his first appearance for Arsenal's under-21 side, in a 2–1 win over Ipswich Town in the EFL Trophy.^[12]

International career

Eligible to represent both Rwanda and Norway, Lewis has stated that he is Norwegian, having grown up in Tromsø.^[13]

Career statistics

Club

As of 8 October 2021.^[6][14][15]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Tromsø 3	2015	4. divisjon	1	0	—		—		—		0	0	1	0
	2016		3	0	—		—		—		0	0	3	0
	Total		4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Tromsdalen 2	2017	4. divisjon	15	13	—		—		—		0	0	15	13
	2018		16	17	—		—		—		0	0	16	17
	2019		4	2	—		—		—		0	0	4	2
	Total		35	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	35	32
Tromsdalen	2018	OBOS-ligaen	3	0	0	0	—		—		0	0	3	0
	2019		0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0	0	0
	Total		3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Fram Larvik	2019	PostNord-ligaen	2	0	0	0	—		—		0	0	2	0
	2020		0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0	0	0
	Total		2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Arsenal U21	2020–21	—									1^[a]	1	1	1
Career total			44	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	45	33

1. Appearances in the EFL Trophy

References

1. "Premier League clubs publish 2020/21 retained lists". premierleague.com. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
2. George Lewis at WorldFootball.net
3. Kaynak, Kaya (18 August 2020). "Who is George Lewis? Profiling Arsenal's latest signing". thefocus.news. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
4. Doyle, Tom (18 August 2020). "George Lewis: Every word of his first interview as an Arsenal player". standard.co.uk. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
5. Watts, Charles (11 May 2020). "George Lewis: The 'outstanding but raw' teenager close to shock Arsenal move". goal.com. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
6. George Lewis at the Norwegian Football Federation (in Norwegian)
7. Davies, Matt (18 August 2020). "Who is George Lewis? Arsenal's latest signing - everything we know so far". standard.co.uk. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
8. Watts, Charles (7 May 2020). "Arsenal in talks to sign Norwegian winger Lewis". goal.com. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
9. "Arsenal set to announce signing of George Lewis on free transfer after FA Cup final against Chelsea". talksport.com. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
10. "George Lewis signs professional contract". arsenal.com. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
11. "Arsenal winger George Lewis: I know many in Norway don't believe in me". onefootball.com. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
12. Baguzin, Alex (12 September 2020). "New Arsenal signing George Lewis scores on his debut, hails 'phenomenal' Pepe after". tribuna.com. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
13. "Umukinnyi mushya wa Arsenal George Lewis Igaba-Ishimwe yizeye kugera mu ikipe ya mbere" [New Arsenal midfielder George Lewis Igaba-Ishimwe hopes to reach the top flight]. bbc.com (in Kinyarwanda). 19 August 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
14. George Lewis at Soccerway
15. George Lewis at Soccerway