Super Falcons’ striker, Ifeoma Onumonu, has announced her retirement from football.
As the Nigerian senior female football team begin preparation ahead of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualification match, the team will have to embark on the journey without the prolific striker, who has announced her retirement from the game.
Onumonu announced her retirement from the game that has brought her fame after a season with French club, Montpellier HSC, following a free transfer deal.
The forward made her decision public on Saturday, bringing an end to a professional career that spanned more than a decade across the United States, France, and Nigeria.
In a statement released through her social media handle, the 31-year-old striker stated that the decision was carefully made after achieving her lifelong ambition of playing the game across different continents.
Onumonu said that passion for football guided her for 22 years and culminated in unforgettable moments on both club and international stages.
Describing the journey that started at the age of eight with a youth team called Magic in the United States as one filled with gratitude, she said: “It is with gratitude that I bid farewell to my playing career on the pitch.
“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.”
“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.
