Super Falcons forward Desire Oparanozie has announced her retirement from professional football.
The 29-year-old’s last outing for the Super Falcons was at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where the country crashed out in the round of 16.
In a post on Wednesday, on her X account, formerly Twitter, she wrote, “To my fans, family, and friends, thank you for the show of love and support over the years. It’s time to take a bow, as I believe there’s no better time than now. I’m officially announcing my retirement from professional football for both club and country.
She nevertheless thanks her fantastic team, her inspiring coach, and her erstwhile rival for being a part of this honorable journey. Thank you, Nigeria, and thank you, football.
She started her club career at Bayelsa Queens and later joined Delta Queens before moving abroad. She last played for Wuhan Chegu Jianghan FC.
Oparanozie came into the limelight after featuring for Nigeria’s Falconets at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2010.
She was part of the Super Falcons squad that won the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2018.
The striker scored 22 goals in 35 appearances for Nigeria.
She played for clubs in Turkey, Russia, Germany, France and China.
