Desire Ugochi Oparanozie, the Super Falcons striker, has officially retired from both international and club football at the age of 29. She made this announcement via her X account (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, expressing gratitude to her fans, family, and friends for their support throughout her career.
Oparanozie also thanked her teammates, coaches, and opponents for being part of her incredible journey in football.
Her football journey began with Bayelsa Queens, a Nigerian women’s professional team, and included stints with Delta Queens, Düvenciler Lisesispor in the Turkish women’s first football league, Rossiyanka in the Russian women’s football championship, and Wolfsburg in Germany. After a brief spell in China with Wuhan Jianghan University, she decided to retire.
Desire Oparanozie started her international career with the Nigerian national team in 2010 and was part of the squad that represented Nigeria in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where the Falcons were eliminated by England in the round of 16 after a penalty shootout.