It’s in the capital of Champagne, Reims, that Hugo was born, and he started playing in the city’s suburbs aged 5 with Cormontreuil FC. He quickly caught the eye of his hometown’s major club, and was drafted into the Stade de Reims youth academy aged 11. The rangy forward quickly rose through the ranks: he scored five goals for the reserve team at 17 and soon signed his first professional contract.
His Ligue 1 debut followed, and – after a loan spell at Danish club Vejle Boldklub – he returned to reinforce the Reims attack, becoming the youngest player to net 10 top-flight goals in the last half-century.
Technical and physical, Ekitike has developed into one of France’s most promising goalgetters. He signed for the capital club through to July 2022 in a loan deal that includes a purchase option.
In his first season, Ekitike picked up his first Ligue 1 title in 2023, scoring 4 goals and picking up 4 assists.
