Deborah Ajibola Abiodun (ⓘ; born 2 November 2003), popularly known as "Kante", is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Nigeria national team. She played collegiately for the Pittsburgh Panthers, where she was named All-ACC two times.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 November 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Ibadan, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Washington Spirit | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 34 | (10) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Rivers Angels | |||
| 2025– | Washington Spirit | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Nigeria U-20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2022– | Nigeria | 7 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 31 July 2024 | |||
Early life and college career
editAbiodun was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, and attended Nasarawa State Sport Academy.[2][3] Her play with Nigeria Women Premier League club Rivers Angels caught the attention of scouts, which led to a full scholarship offer from the University of Pittsburgh.[4]
Pittsburgh Panthers
editAbiodun spent two seasons with the Pittsburgh Panthers under the coaching of Randy Waldrum, also her coach with the Nigeria national team.[5] In her freshman season, she made 22 appearances (19 starts) and scored 6 goals with 3 assists, earning Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) all-freshman and third-team All-ACC honors. In the NCAA tournament, she scored two times, in a 6–0 win against Ohio State in the first round and opening a 3–0 win against Memphis in the third round, as Pittsburgh made the national quarterfinals for the first time in program history.[3][6] In her sophomore season, she played only 12 games (9 starts) as she missed six games due to injury. She scored 4 goals and earned second-team All-ACC honors.[3][7]
Club career
editWashington Spirit
editThe Washington Spirit announced on January 6, 2025, that they had signed Abiodun to a three-year contract with an option to extend for an additional year.[8]
International career
editAbiodun represented Nigeria at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, starting three games. Nigeria won their group but lost 2–0 to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on August 22.[1] Abiodun received her first senior call-up the following month.[9] She made her senior international debut on September 3, 2022, starting in a 4–0 friendly loss to the United States.[1]
Abiodun was selected to Nigeria's roster for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[10] She made her tournament debut against Canada on 21 July 2023. She was handed a red card during stoppage time after a VAR review (the first red card of the tournament) as Nigeria held on to a 0–0 draw.[11]
Abiodun started all 3 games for Nigeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Nigeria lost each game and finished bottom of their group.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Deborah Abiodun at Soccerway
- ^ "Abiodun Deborah". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ a b c "Deborah Abiodun". Pittsburgh Panthers. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ Sanyaolu, Isaac (22 July 2023). "Deborah Abiodun – Nigeria | Player Profile". Futball Naija. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Krysinsky, John (3 July 2024). "Randy Waldrum selects Nigeria's women's squad for Olympic tournament including Pitt's Deborah Abiodun". Pittsburgh Soccer Now. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ Krysinsky, John (24 November 2023). "Final: Florida State 3, Pitt 0 (NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament Quarterfinal)". Pittsburgh Soccer Now. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ Krysinsky, John (6 November 2024). "Pitt's Sarah Schupansky and Deborah Abiodun named to All-ACC Women's Soccer Second Team". Pittsburgh Soccer Now. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ "Washington Spirit Starts Promising 2025 Rookie Class with Two Signings". Washington Spirit. 6 January 2025. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ "USWNT Returns To Action With Match Against Nigeria". United States Soccer Federation. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ "Nigeria Women's World Cup 2023 squad: Who's in & who's out?". Goal.com. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ "Nigeria's Deborah Abiodun handed first red card of FIFA Women's World Cup 2023". The Hindu. 23 July 2023.
