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Gbeminiyi Ogunleye
5 days ago
Overview
Super Falcons star, Ifeoma Onumonu, announces retirement
Super Falcons forward Ifeoma Onumonu has announced her retirement from football, bringing an end to a professional career that spanned more than a decade across the United States, France, and Nigeria, PUNCH Online reports.
In a statement shared on Instagram in the early hours of Saturday, the 31-year-old expressed gratitude for her journey, describing her retirement as a “natural conclusion” to a lifelong discovery that began at the age of eight.
“It is with a heart full of gratitude that I bid farewell to my playing career on the pitch,” Onumonu wrote, reflecting on her early years with a youth team called Magic in the United States.
“We played in white, black, and green jerseys at the AYSO fields near my house. I remember how vast I thought the field was. I don’t remember if I played an actual position or if I even passed the ball.
”All I wanted to do was run as fast as I could and score. I didn’t much care about winning or losing; I just loved playing.”
Onumonu said that passion for football guided her for 22 years and culminated in unforgettable moments on both club and international stages.
“I had the profound pleasure of lifting an NWSL championship trophy, representing Nigeria at the Olympics and a World Cup, and helping to lift the African Cup of Nations trophy with the Super Falcons for a historic 10th time,” she added.
The American-born striker, who made her senior debut for Nigeria in 2021, was part of the country’s 2023 Women’s World Cup squad and also represented the Super Falcons at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
She featured in the team’s WAFCON triumph in July 2025, the country’s record-extending 10th continental title.
