Onome Ebi[1] (born 8 May 1983) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Nigerian club Abia Angels and the Nigeria women's national team. In 2023 she became the first African footballer, male or female, to play in 6 FIFA World Cup tournaments.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 8 May 1983[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Abia Angels | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2008 | Omidiran Babes | ||
| 2008 | Bayelsa Queens | ||
| 2009 | Piteå | 6 | (1) |
| 2010 | Djurgården | 16 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Düvenciler Lisesispor | 7 | (5) |
| 2011–2013 | Ataşehir Belediyespor | 28 | (21) |
| 2013 | Sunnanå SK | 8 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | FC Minsk | 37 | (7) |
| 2017–2020 | Henan Jianye | 0 | (5) |
| 2021 | FC Minsk | 19 | (4) |
| 2022 | Levante Las Planas | 1 | (0) |
| 2023- | Abia Angels | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2003– | Nigeria | 109[2] | (3) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 December 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10:30, 1 August 2023 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editShe played for Bayelsa Queens FC in the Nigerian Women's Championship before moving to Piteå IF and Djurgårdens IF in Sweden's Damallsvenskan. Ebi said "I enjoyed my stay in Turkey because of the good weather. Going to Sweden was a different ball game, as the cold weather made it difficult for me to play good football. The amateur nature of the Swedish league made me launch a return to Turkey for Ataşehir Belediyespor FC in the First League."[3]
She then played for Turkish sides Düvenciler Lisesispor and Ataşehir Belediyespor at the First League.[4] She made her Champions League debut in August 2012 while playing for Ataşehir Belediyespor.[5]
Ebi returned to the Swedish Damallsvenskan in 2013 to play for Sunnanå SK before going to Belarus to play for FC Minsk in the Belarusian Premier League.[6] While there, she was a member of the team that won the Belarusian Premier League, the Belarusian Women's Cup and the Belarusian Women's Super Cup twice.[3]
In both club and international competitions, Ebi plays as the number five in the team due to the significance it holds for her. When she arrived at Minsk, the jersey number was already taken, so she asked for the number 55 instead.[3]
She currently plays for Chinese second division side Henan Jianye, where she signed in 2018.
Onome Ebi has made a significant move by joining Naija Ratels FC of Abuja for the upcoming 2023-2024 Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) season, set to kick off on November 15. The veteran footballer , with a remarkable history of six FIFA Women’s World Cups, was officially introduced at a vibrant ceremony in Abuja by the Naija Ratels management. Despite numerous offers from both local and international clubs following her participation in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 40-year-old defender expressed her joy in returning to the local league after more than a decade abroad. Ebi emphasized her deliberate choice of Naija Ratels, citing the club's youthful profile within the league, coupled with impressive organization and discipline.[7]
International career
editEbi is a member of the Nigerian national team. On 6 July 2019, she became the first African Footballer to play in five[8] Fifa World Cup Tournaments, taking part in the 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015, 2019 editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[9][10]
Ebi was also a member of the Nigerian squad in the 2008,[11] 2010,[12] 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 editions of the African Women's Championship,[13][14] winning the tournament four times 2010, 2014) 2016 and 2018 .[15][16]
On 16 June 2023, she was included in the 23-player Nigerian squad for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.[17] It was her sixth tournament.[18]
International goals
edit| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 20 January 2019 | Wuhua County Olympic Sports Centre, Meizhou, China |  Romania |
2–1 | 4–1 | 2019 Four Nations Tournament |
| 2. | 6 March 2019 | Tasos Markos Stadium, Paralimni, Cyprus |  Thailand |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2019 Cyprus Women's Cup |
| 3. | 11 April 2023 | Marden Sports Complex, Alanya, Turkey |  New Zealand |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
Honours
edit- Ataşehir Belediyespor
- Turkish Women's First Football League: 2011–12, 2012–13
- FC Minsk
- Belarusian Premier League: 2014
- Belarusian Women's Cup: 2014
- Belarusian Women's Super Cup: 2014, 2015
- Nigeria
Individual
- NFF-Aiteo Female Player Of The Year: 2018[19]
- IFFHS CAF Women's Team of the Decade 2011–2020[20]
- IFFHS All-time Africa Women's Dream Team: 2021[21]
References
edit- ^ a b c "List of Players – 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
- ^ "Profile". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- ^ a b c Sotuminu, Dapo (24 April 2016). "Onome Ebi: No Regrets Dropping Out Of School To Play Soccer". New Telegraph. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ^ Nwani, Emeka (14 June 2012). "Super Falcons' Onome Ebi wins Turkish league title". Goal.com. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ^ "Onome Ebi". UEFA. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ^ "Nigerian trio help FK Minsk win Belarus Women Super Cup". Goal.com. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^ Report, Agency (15 October 2023). "NWFL: Super Falcons captain Ebi joins Naija Ratels, becomes highest-paid". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Correspondent. "Nigeria's Onome Ebi makes African history with fifth Women's World Cup appearance | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "FIFA player stats". FIFA. Retrieved 29 June 2015.[dead link]
- ^ Saaid, Hamdan (18 September 2008). "Games of the XXIX. Olympiad". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ^ "Nigeria/Ghana: 2008 African Women Championship – Super Falcons Begin Campaign Against Ghana Today". AllAfrica. 11 November 2008. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ^ "Falcons go headlong for women's title on SuperSport". Bloemfontein Celtic. 28 October 2010. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ^ "Falcons' Onome Ebi joins other pros in camp". News 24. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ^ Ahmadu, Samuel (29 September 2014). "Minsk Release Esther Sunday & Onome Ebi for AWC". Goal.com. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ^ "African International Competitions". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ^ "Nigeria reclaim African women's title". BBC Sport. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ^ Ryan Dabbs (14 June 2023). "Nigeria Women's World Cup 2023 squad: most recent call ups". fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ "The 40-year-old playing 'unreal' sixth World Cup". BBC Sport.
- ^ Correspondent. "Onome Ebi wins 2018 NFF Women's Player of the Year award | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "IFFHS Women's CAF Team Decade 2011–2020". The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). 28 January 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "IFFHS All-time Africa Women's Dream Team". The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). 7 June 2021.