Onome Ebi, First African Woman To Feature In Six FIFA Women's World Cup

Onome Ebi, First African Woman To Feature In Six FIFA Women's World Cup

By Gbenga Gboyega

Come the 21st of June 2022, Super Falcons skipper and central defender - Onome Ebi will become the first African Woman to feature in Six consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments, since her first in the USA in 2003, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The 40-year-old Nigerian International who plays for Fútbol Club Levante Las Planas in the Spanish Liga de Femenino, was picked in the 23-woman squad list released by head coach Randy Waldrum for the 2023 edition, with her experience, longevity, and comportment, being her major weapons for the Super Falcons thus far.

Onome started her impressive career from home, playing for Bayelsa Queens FC in the Nigerian Women's Championship, before moving abroad to feature in Sweden's Damallsvenskan with clubs like PiteÃ¥ IF and DjurgÃ¥rdens IF. 

In 2016, Ebi told The New Telegraph about her experience in both the Turkish and the Swedish leagues; 

"I enjoyed my stay in Turkey because of the good weather. Going to Sweden was a different ball game, as the cold weather made it difficult for me to play good football. The amateur nature of the Swedish league made me launch a return to Turkey for AtaÅŸehir Belediyespor FC in the First League."

While in Turkey, Onome clinched two consecutive league titles with AtaÅŸehir Belediyespor in 2011-12 and 2012-13, while adding a third league title when she starred for FC Minsk in the 2014 Belarusian Premier League season. 

Onome is only extending her long-standing record to Six, having already set the pace for the first African Woman to feature in Five World Cups while in France in 2019, where the Super Falcons lost 3-0 to Germany in the Round of 16.

She was also an integral member of the Nigerian Women's squad in the 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 editions of the African Women's Cup of Nations, winning the title in four of those tournaments excluding 2008 and 2012.

Amongst her accolades are the NFF-Aiteo Female Player Of The Year in 2018 as Nigeria's best Women's player, plus bagging a spot in the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) Team of the Decade, between 2011 and 2020.

See you at the 6th Mundial, Onome Ebi! From all of us at BSNSports NG.