Musa Dibaga-Nimaga is a Gambian born Spanish goalkeeper who currently plays as the first choice shot-stopper for Scottish League One side Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Starting as a substitute keeper, the 24-year-old net minder has been installed as the first choice keeper for Caley Thistle this season and has played in 27 of the club’s 29 league matches as well as one cup game.
Despite Inverness’ struggles in a fading attempt to make an instant return to the Championship, Musa has been one of the bright stars in a rather average season for the club. He has kept eight clean sheets and his performances caught the attention of Scorpions Coach Johnathan McKinstry, who handed him a dream international call-up to The Gambia National Team for the first time. He trained under the orders of the Northern Irishman yesterday for the first time as the Scorpions began preparations for the resumption of its 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Kenya on Thursday in Abidjan.
Speaking in an interview with the GFF Media at the team’s training base in Abidjan, Dibaga, who started his career with teams in the lower tier of Spanish football before breaking into professional football after his family moved to Scotland, explained how he found out about the news of his debut call-up to the Scorpions squad.
“I received the news [of my call-up] after training when I was on my way back from the Stadium and in a car when I saw the message. I was so happy but at the same time I couldn’t believe it and after that I started buzzing and my teammates were all very happy for me,” the tall lanky Dibaga, who will turn 25 in April, told the GFF Media.
“You always had that dream [of representing your country] but at the same time you always try to go step by step and until it’s an actual thing that it can happen, you never believed it. But back in Spain, I was playing in tournaments with Gambians and representing Gambia in Zaragoza and I always wanted to make it happen.”
Speaking further, Dibaga said his inclusion in the team will bring a lot of positivity to the group and also ensures smart competition so that the three of them can push each other, which he added will make the team better. He concluded by expressing hope that the Gambia can get a decent run of wins to ensure qualification to its first World Cup in 2026.
