Nigeria’s female football team’s former skipper, Ebi Onome has announced her retirement from professional football.
In a social media post on Wednesday, the former Super Falcons captain wrote:
“Today, I officially retire from professional football. The journey has been filled with challenges, victories, and lessons that shaped me into who I am today. Though I hang up my boots, my purpose in the game continues—to give back, to guide, and to be a voice for players across Africa and beyond. Thank you.”
Ebi who is 43 years old played active football for about two decades and featured prominently in Nigeria’s dominance of Africa’s female football.
She kicked off her Omidiran Babes in 2001, where she played for seven years, from where she moved to Bayelsa Queens.
She later moved to Europe where she joined Swedish club sides, Piteå IF an Djurgårdens IF respectively.
She moved to Turkey and played for Düvenciler Lisesispor and Ataşehir Belediyespor.
Ebi made her Champions League debut in August 2012 while playing for Ataşehir Belediyespor.
In 2013, she returned to the Swedish Damallsvenskan and played Sunnanå SK and thereafter proceeded to Belarus to play for FC Minsk in the Belarusian Premier League.
She won the Belarusian Premier League, the Belarusian Women’s Cup and the Belarusian Women’s Super Cup twice with FC Minsk.
As a Super Falcons player, she had 109 caps, becoming one of the most capped Nigerian female players of all times.
She won the Women African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) for a record four times , 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2018. Internationally, Ebi featured for a record six editions of FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments.
