The Canadian Premier League is proud to be part of the Guardian’s Women’s World Cup 2023 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organizations from the 32 countries who qualified.
The Nigeria player profiles were written by Solace Chukwu, who writes for Pulse Sports.
GROUP B SQUAD PROFILES: Canada || Nigeria || Republic of Ireland || Australia
Goalkeepers
1. Tochukwu Oluehi
Date of birth: May 2, 1987
Place of birth: Lagos, Nigeria
Club: Hakkarigücü Spor
Caps: 14
The former No. 1 has now decisively lost her starting spot, but for years Oluehi proved dependable in goal for Nigeria, excelling particularly in saving penalties – she describes this as a “gift”. The height of her prowess came in 2018: when the Super Falcons needed penalty shootouts in both the semifinal and final to claim a ninth Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title, Oluehi was superb. Despite losing her place, she is grateful for what she calls a “family atmosphere” within the goalkeeper corps. She enjoys the music of Nigerian pop act P-Square.
16. Chiamaka Nnadozie
Date of birth: December 8, 2000
Place of birth: Orlu, Nigeria
Club: Paris FC
Caps: 19
In 2019 against South Korea, Nnadozie made history by becoming the youngest woman to keep a clean sheet at a World Cup finals (aged 18 years and 186 days). She has gone on to establish herself as Nigeria’s undisputed No 1, shedding the apprehension and shock that characterised her first outings and blossoming into one of the finest goalkeepers in the French top flight. Not bad considering she started her career as a right-back, and also played as a striker. Her idol Manuel Neuer would certainly approve. Despite coming from a sporting background, she was effectively disowned by her father in her mid-teens for her fixation on football. The rejection spurred her on. “I kept on going because of my dad. He concluded I would be useless in life, and that really motivated me,” she told the Independent in Nigeria. She is considered the best singer in the squad, often belting out gospel music, and is known to break out a move or two.
23. Yewande Balogun
Date of birth: September 28, 1989
Place of birth: Washington, D.C.
Club: AS Saint-Étienne
Caps: 1
It is safe to say that Balogun had more or less given up on the idea of playing international football. She played for the University of Maryland, from where she graduated in 2011, and completed a master’s degree in business administration, all while working as a coach. However, when Covid-19 travel restrictions disrupted Nigeria’s squad for a 2021 friendly tour to the USA, she got a call from the Nigeria coach, Randy Waldrum. “You know how they say one phone call or one decision can kind of change your life,” she said. “I feel like that’s exactly what’s happened.” The 33-year-old, whose parents emigrated to the USA in the 1980s, is a self-described procrastinator and a lover of pounded yam and egusi soup.
Defenders
2. Ashleigh Plumptre
Date of birth: May 8, 1998
Place of birth: Leicester, England
Club: Leicester City
Caps: 11
Eligible for Nigeria through her paternal grandfather, Plumptre was moved to represent Nigeria in order to learn and experience the culture, in part for her half-sister’s sake, who is also of mixed heritage. Having decided to do that, the Leicester-born centre-back dived in head first and is loving every minute of it. “I love the culture, I honestly love everything about being in Nigeria,” she said. Since making her debut in early 2022, the elegant ball-playing Plumptre has grown into something of a fan favourite. Enjoys eating moi-moi – a popular spicy steamed bean delicacy.
3. Osinachi Ohale
Date of birth: December 21, 1991
Place of birth: Owerri, Nigeria
Club: Deportivo Alavés
Caps: 26
Ohale actually started as a winger, but watching her play, you would not guess it. She “ran too much”, unwilling to remain in advanced areas, and so she was converted to a full-back, and from there into a centre-back. Considering that background, it is somewhat ironic that she has evolved into a throwback defender who relishes the physical aspect of the game. Ohale has forged a long-lived partnership at the heart of the defence with Ebi, complementing the latter by providing the steel to her silk.
4. Glory Ogbonna
Date of birth: 25 December 1998
Place of birth: Aba, Nigeria
Club: Beşiktaş
Caps: 15
Ogbonna, a versatile defender, is predominantly left-footed, but most often plays at right-back, from where she is able to cut infield and go on rampaging runs through the midfield. A huge fan of indigenous Igbo music, the 24-year-old was born and raised in Aba, a trading and industrial hub in south-eastern Nigeria. She describes her father as her “backbone” and recalls her mother once, upon witnessing her getting treatment from an orthopedic surgeon, telling her she was already proud of her and pleading with her to retire. Needless to say, she did not heed that piece of advice.
5. Onome Ebi
Date of birth: May 8, 1983
Place of birth: Lagos, Nigeria
Club: Unattached (most recently Levante Las Planas)
Caps: 107
The team’s oldest and longest-serving player, Ebi has been active on the international stage since 2003 and is part of the Super Falcons’ leadership group. If she takes the field in Australia, it would mark a sixth appearance at the World Cup: an African record. That will not be easy, not just because of competition for places, but because of growing criticism of her continued presence within the squad. Ebi knows a thing or two about weathering doubt and opposition, however. Born and raised in Ajegunle, the most notorious slum in the densely populated city of Lagos, she is pretty thick-skinned. “I’ve never been on the bench,” she has said. “When it’s time to step down, I will make that decision myself.” She credits sleep for her longevity and actively avoids weight training, preferring aerobics instead. She is a member of the Common Goal initiative.
14. Oluwatosin Demehin
Date of birth: March 13, 2002
Place of birth: Nigeria
Club: Stade de Reims
Caps: 5
Like Imuran, Demehin was drafted into the senior side following an impressive showing at U-20 level. The timing is opportune: Nigeria’s defence has a surfeit of experience, and so could do with the speed and elasticity that youth provides. Enter Demehin. At the U-20 World Cup in 2022, Nigeria kept two clean sheets in four matches, and she has carried her strong form into the senior ranks, often paired with the experience of Ohale or Ebi. She enjoys support from her father for her football career, and receives regular calls from him offering encouragement before and after matches.
20. Rofiat Imuran
Date of birth: June 17, 2004
Place of birth: Nigeria
Club: Stade de Reims
Caps: 5
One of the youngest members of the squad, Imuran was a revelation at the 2022 U-20 World Cup as Nigeria reached the last eight. Left-back has been a long-term problem position so a call-up to the senior team was a mere formality. She was singled out for praise on her senior debut against USA in September, with the coach, Randy Waldrum, branding her “the future”. With her clean technique and her brilliant deliveries from out wide, Imuran (a documentation error on her passport altered her surname from “Muraina”) proves that if you are good enough, you are old enough. She is not, however, resting on her laurels. “Talent is important,” she says, “but you have to have a very strong mentality.” With an attitude like that, you wouldn’t bet against her fulfilling her personal ambition “to become the best in the world”.
22. Michelle Alozie
Date of birth: April 28, 1997
Place of birth: Apple Valley, California
Club: Houston Dash
Caps: 3
Alozie wears many different hats, being just as versatile off the pitch as she is on it. She holds a degree in molecular biology from Yale, as well as a masters in sports psychology from the University of Tennessee. She is also a part-time research technician at the Texas Children’s Hospital, and hopes to become a cardiologist after her professional football career is over. A forward at club level, she moonlights as a full-back on the international stage with Nigeria, for whom she made her debut in 2021. “I was very surprised when I got the call-up, it’s really a big dream for me to be here playing with a lot of people that I looked up to growing up,” she said.
GROUP B TEAM GUIDES: Canada || Nigeria || Republic of Ireland || Australia
Midfielders
7. Toni Payne
Date of birth: April 22, 1995
Place of birth: Birmingham, Alabama
Club: Sevilla
Caps: 14
The older Payne is one half of the only pair of sisters to feature at the same time at international level for Nigeria. Father Oyeleke is a coach, and brother Stephen is also a footballer. Toni is a political science major who took three semesters of Italian at Duke University, but she considers football “my life, my passion; a space in which I am at peace”. She plays as a forward for her club, where her pace stretches defences, either through the centre or down the flanks. However, she has also deputised at left-back and in central midfielder at times for Nigeria, and carries a significant threat with her set-piece delivery.
10. Christy Ucheibe
Date of birth: December 25, 2000
Place of birth: Nigeria
Club: Benfica
Caps: 12
Years ago Ucheibe made a promise to her mother: that she would watch her daughter play for the national team. As a youngster, she saved up to buy football boots by helping her mother sell food in the markets. Sadly, her mother passed away a year before the 22-year-old finally made her international bow. Mama Ucheibe would have been proud of how her daughter is getting on, as the Benfica midfielder has not only established herself with the Super Falcons, but has won three league titles with her club. Energetic, strong and incisive in possession, Ucheibe immediately improved the Nigerian side when she came into the starting XI midway through the 2022 WAFCON.
13. Deborah Abiodun
Date of birth: November 2, 2003
Place of birth: Ibadan, Nigeria
Club: University of Pittsburgh
Caps: 2
Young midfielder is another from the Under-20 ranks, being one of the stars of the 2022 Under-20 World Cup in Costa Rica. Born in Ibadan, Nigeria’s third-largest city, the 19-year-old is a complete midfielder with a good engine, and she takes up good positions to receive the ball in advanced areas. She made her debut in the pair of friendlies against the USA in September, and made a strong enough impression to be signed to university side Pittsburgh Panthers afterward. In joining the Panthers, she will be linking up with international manager Randy Waldrum, who holds a role there.
18. Halimatu Ayinde
Date of birth: May 16, 1995
Place of birth: Kaduna, Nigeria
Club: Rosengård
Caps: 24
The major opposition to Ayinde’s footballing ambitions came, not from parents, but from her overprotective siblings. The tenacious holding midfielder was born in Kaduna, a well-known hotbed of footballing talent in Nigeria, but also a part of the ultra-conservative, predominantly Muslim north. A chance encounter took her from kickabouts in the streets to an academy setting, and she never looked back. “I want the northern region to allow any girl that has passion for football to pursue their dreams,” she has said. “Nowadays, a Muslim can play football in hijab.” She has familial links to all three major ethnic groups in Nigeria, but Ayinde does not speak any indigenous language.
19. Jennifer Echegini
Date of birth: March 22, 2001
Place of birth: London, England
Club: Florida State University
Caps: 5
One of the newest members of the team, Echegini debuted in 2022 against Canada and has already made quite the impression, scoring against New Zealand with a well-timed run and volley. Capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or as a forward in her own right, the 22-year-old management major was a beneficiary of a depleted squad and difficulties securing travel documentation, and has seized that opportunity with both hands. “I am just grateful to have had the opportunity to be called up,” she said. “I didn’t expect to start my second day I was there, to be able to play against people I watched growing up. Playing against people like that, they’re incredible.”
Forwards
6. Ifeoma Onumonu
Date of birth: February 25, 1994
Place of birth: Rancho Cucamonga, California
Club: Gotham FC
Caps: 14
Playing at international level and going to the World Cup was a dream Onumonu wrote down years ago, but not one she had any idea how to pursue. Born to Nigerian parents in the USA, the striker debuted for the Super Falcons in 2021, and admits playing African football has taught her “resilience”. Holds a degree in integrative biology from the University of California. She deputised for the injured Oshoala at the 2022 WAFCON and despite providing valuable movement and running the channels, copped criticism for only scoring once, so still has something to prove to fans back home. She stands out for her activism, as the co-founder of the Black Women’s Player Collective, which aims to provide a safe space for NWSL athletes and amplify their voices.
8. Asisat Oshoala
Date of birth: October 9, 1994
Place of birth: Ikorodu, Nigeria
Club: Barcelona
Caps: 18
A five-time African Footballer of the Year (a record) and first African woman nominated for the Ballon D’Or, Oshoala is the undisputed star of the team and its biggest goal threat. She recalls needing to come up with convoluted stories to explain her late returns from school, as she would sneak off to play football. She had an agreement with her parents that, if she had not gotten her big break by the age of 20, she would give up football and study for a law degree. The versatile Barcelona striker actually played the 2012 U-20 World Cup as a defensive midfielder, before returning to the competition two years later as a forward and finishing as top scorer.
9. Desire Oparanozie
Date of birth: December 17, 1993
Place of birth: Owerri, Nigeria
Club: Wuhan Jianghan University
Caps: 18
Oparanozie’s international career over the last couple of years has been on-and-off on account of run-ins with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) because of her outspokenness and advocacy, both for equal pay and for prompt payment. Was infamously accused of “literally playing against her own team” by an NFF press release following a defeat to South Africa in 2021, and was controversially omitted from Nigeria’s squad for the Revelation Cup in February, before being recalled in March for friendlies with Haiti and New Zealand. In 2019, she was made an environmental ambassador in her home state of Imo. The most experienced centre-forward in the squad, she is physical, aggressive and capable of holding the ball up.
11. Gift Monday
Date of birth: December 9, 2001
Place of birth: Akwa Ibom, Nigeria
Club: Tenerife
Caps: 9
Monday is similar in style to Uchenna Kanu, but is younger and possesses a piledriver of a shot off either foot. There was consternation over her sparing use by the coach, Randy Waldrum, at the 2022 WAFCON – when she did take the pitch, she always looked dangerous. “I am a player who helps a team with a lot of sacrifices,” she says. Monday describes Asisat Oshoala as a role model, and could well be on her way to emulating the Barcelona forward: the 21-year-old earned two nominations at the 2022 CAF Awards, for young player and interclub player of the year.
12. Uchenna Kanu
Date of birth: June 20, 1997
Place of birth: Abia, Nigeria
Club: Racing Louisville
Caps: 18
Kanu describes herself as a “natural goalscorer”, and has excelled in leagues in Mexico (where she was the first African to play in the top flight, with Tigres) and Sweden. She has a day (18 November) dedicated to her in Lakeland, Florida (where she attended Southeastern University) for becoming the all-time leading college goalscorer at a single school. Arguably the team’s best finisher, especially in the air where she possesses an intimidating leap. She owns a pet dog named Luna and says she loves to binge watch series on Netflix.
15. Rasheedat Ajibade
Date of birth: December 8, 1999
Place of birth: Kaduna, Nigeria
Club: Atlético Madrid
Caps: 22
Ajibade held off on a move to Europe in order to finish her first degree in accounting, and then obtained a second in sports psychology during the Covid-19 lockdown. “Seeing people younger than me playing in Europe was tough,” she admitted, “but education is very important because you can fall back on it.” Atlético surprised Ajibade on Mother’s Day by flying her mother to Spain to watch her play for the first time. “It was an emotional game for me,” she said. “I think this is going to live in my heart for ever because it is the first time my mom comes to the field to watch me play football.” Ajibade excels at dribbling, and often starts out wide. In 2022, she launched a scholarship fund for university undergraduates in Nigeria.
17. Francisca Ordega
Date of birth: October 19, 1993
Place of birth: Gboko, Nigeria
Club: CSKA Moscow
Caps: 26
Ordega is considered the fashionista within the squad. An extrovert and a joker, she admits some of her career choices have been motivated by her love for travelling and meeting new people. Caught the football bug after being selected for ballgirl duty when the U-20 national team was hosted in her native Benue state. “I thought to myself: ‘Oh I think I like this!’ because a lot of people were there watching them and clapping and cheering them on.” One of a family of 15 children, she also enjoys playing basketball. “I do everything with football. It’s my life,” she says.
21. Esther Okoronkwo
Date of birth: March 27, 1997
Place of birth: Abia, Nigeria
Club: Tenerife
Caps: 9
A former star athlete in the American college football scene, Okoronkwo is unique within the forward line in that she is predominantly left-footed. Capable of playing centrally or on the right, she debuted in 2021 and has already demonstrated a knack for important goals, including the one that secured Nigeria’s qualification for the 2022 WAFCON. Missed almost a year due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, but returned to score against Haiti and snap a historic six-game winless run in February, and also helped her former side Saint-Étienne gain promotion to the French top flight. Loves to dance and possesses mesmeric footwork with the ball.
For team previews and squad profiles for the other three teams in Group B, click here.