Onome Ebi has retired from football at 42 after a 24-year career. She ended as Africa’s most capped World Cup player with six appearances and 109 Nigeria caps.
The Super Falcons captain confirmed her retirement on 17 September through social media, calling her journey “filled with challenges, victories, and invaluable lessons.”
Ebi’s career began in Lagos in 2001 with Egun Amateur FC before her first Nigeria call-up in 2003. Ebi went on to become a defensive mainstay.
She holds the record as the first African—male or female—to play in six FIFA Women’s World Cups. She also won four Women’s Africa Cup of Nations titles.
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Her club career spanned Belarus, Turkey, Sweden, and the United States, where she lifted two Turkish league titles and multiple Belarusian trophies.
Reactions across football
The Nigeria Football Federation praised her as “a pillar of strength.” Teammates Rasheedat Ajibade and Osinachi Ohale described her as a “mother figure” in tributes.
Her departure marks the close of a historic era for the Super Falcons, but her leadership and endurance remain a reference point in women’s football.
