Five Nigerian players to watch in the Olympics

Five Nigerian players to watch in the Olympics

With Nigeria women’s national team coach Randy Waldrum having chosen his final squad for the Olympic Games which include captain Rasheedat Ajibade and forward Asisat Oshoala, SABC Sport looks at the Super Falcons’ players to watch in this tournament.

Nigeria made their debut in the Olympics in Sydney, in 2000 and last participated in 2008 in Beijing. Their best performance so far in the Olympics was in 2004 in Athens when they reached the quarterfinals, the highest achievement in the Games by any African football team.

Their first game will be against Brazil, on 25 July at the Stade Bordeaux , then they will face Spain on 28 July and Japan on 31 July.

Rasheedat Ajibade

Famously known as “The lady with the blue hair”, Ajibade currently plays club football for Atletico Madrid and was crowned player of the season for 2023/24. She started playing for Nigeria in the under-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2014 where she netted three goals in the tournament. She also captained Nigeria in the under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2016 and played in the under-20 World Cup in the same year.

During the CAF Olympic qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics, Ajibade scored a crucial penalty for the Super Falcons in their match against Banyana Banyana.

Asisat Oshoala

Earlier this year, Oshoala moved from Barcelona after being with them for five years to Bay FC, in the NWSL.

In 2019, she became the first African player to score a goal in a UEFA Women's Champions League final. On 16 May 2021, Oshoala became the first African woman to win the UEFA Champions League, after Barcelona defeated Chelsea 4–0 in the finals.

In 2022 she became the first African woman nominated for the Ballon d'Or Féminin. She is also the first African player to win the UEFA Champions League three times.

She has been crowned the CAF African Women's Footballer of the Year six times.

Oshoala has also played in the Premier League for Arsenal and Liverpool.

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Chiamaka Nnadozie

The Union for Professional Football Players (UNFP) in France crowned Nnadozie Goalkeeper of the Season for 2023/24 after she helped Paris FC finish third in the regular season before securing bronze in the playoffs.

Nnadozie was a key figure in Nigeria’s squad at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and kept a clean sheet in the Super Falcon’s victory over South Korea. 

In Nigeria’s opening match of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup against Olympic champions Canada, the 23-year-old donned the captain’s armband and was named player of the match – an achievement she describes as life-changing.

In December last year, she was crowned the 2023 Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year at the CAF Awards.

Christy Ucheibe

23-year-old Ucheibe plays as a midfielder for Benfica in Portugal, where she used to be roommates with Banyana star Thembi Kgatlana. She represented Nigeria in the 2014 Under-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup as well as the 2018 FIFA under-20 Women’s World Cup. She was also part of the squad that played in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, making it to the last-16. Ucheibe won a treble with Benfica this season, namely the Taca de Liga, Taca de Portugal and Liga BPI.

Jennifer Echegini

Echegini was born in the Netherlands to Nigerian parents and opted to represent her parent’s country of birth in international football. She played for Juventus until July 2024 when she joined French Club, Paris Saint-Germain. She was part of the squad that represented Nigeria in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.