Onome Ebi

Two decades at the back

Onome Ebi was born in Lagos on 8 May 1983. A centre-back, she played club football in Nigeria, Turkey, Belarus, Sweden, China and Spain, winning Turkish titles with Ataşehir and Belarusian titles with FC Minsk.

Six World Cups

At the 2023 World Cup, aged 40, Ebi became the first African player, man or woman, to appear at six World Cups (2003 to 2023). She won 109 caps, the most for a Super Falcon, and African titles in 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2018.

Her six World Cups took her to the USA (2003), China (2007), Germany (2011), Canada (2015), France (2019) and Australia and New Zealand (2023). Her club journey ran from Omidiran Babes and Bayelsa Queens to Piteå IF and Djurgårdens IF in Sweden, Ataşehir Belediyespor, FC Minsk, Henan Jianye in China, Levante Las Planas in Spain and, back home, Abia Angels.

Retirement

Ebi announced her retirement on 17 September 2025. Captain Rasheedat Ajibade said she had “paved the way for this generation”.