Because the curtain rises on 2025, the footballing world prepares for a yr brimming with alternatives and high-stakes motion. From the worldwide stage to regional battlegrounds and club-level showdowns, contemporary abilities are prepared to assert the highlight.
In Nigeria, a brand new crop of younger feminine footballers are poised to make waves on each the home and worldwide scenes. With a number of FIFA, CAF, and WAFU tournaments lined up, these gamers, all below the age of 24, have ample alternatives to raise their careers.
Listed here are 5 high Nigerian ladies’s prospects to observe intently in 2025.
Chidi Concord
The Goalscorer-in-chief of Nigeria’s U17 Girls’s crew has already constructed a fame as a goal-scoring prodigy. Idolizing Victor Osimhen and Erling Haaland, the 15-year-old has proven a medical edge in entrance of objective that belies her age.
Through the U17 Girls’s World Cup qualifiers, Concord netted 13 targets, together with two hat-tricks, ending as the highest scorer throughout all confederations.
On the event within the Dominican Republic, she earned a Participant of the Match award in Nigeria’s 4-0 win over Ecuador, contributing a objective and an help.
Her performances continued on the WAFU U17 Women’ Cup, the place her hat-trick helped Nigeria edge Côte d’Ivoire 3-2. With FIFA youth tournaments on the horizon, Concord stays an important participant for each Nigeria’s U17 and U20 groups.
Shakirat Moshood
Shakirat Moshood’s meteoric rise in 2024 turned heads throughout the Nigerian soccer group.
Just about unknown earlier than the U17 Girls’s World Cup, the midfielder showcased her soccer intelligence, netting 4 targets within the group levels and main Nigeria to the quarterfinals.
Her match-winning long-range strike in opposition to the Dominican Republic earned her the Purpose of the Event award. On the WAFU B Women Championship, Moshood continued to impress, driving Nigeria to a second-place end behind Ghana.
The soon-to-be 17, Moshood may function in upcoming FIFA youth tournaments and even earn a shock call-up to the senior Tremendous Falcons.
Edna Imade
The 24-year-old has emerged as one of many breakout stars of the 2024/25 Liga F season in Spain.
Born to Nigerian mother and father in Morocco throughout a troublesome migration journey, Imade’s footballing journey started in small-town Carmona, the place her expertise rapidly turned obvious.
At the moment plying her commerce at Granada, Imade has scored 9 targets in 13 league appearances, making her the second-top scorer within the league behind Barcelona’s Ewa Pajor. Her efforts earned her the December Liga F Participant of the Month award, edging out gamers from Actual Madrid and Barcelona.
As requires her inclusion within the Tremendous Falcons squad develop louder, Imade stays a participant to observe as she navigates a promising profession trajectory.
Christiana Uzoma
At simply 16, Christiana Uzoma has already displayed the maturity of a seasoned goalkeeper. Representing Nigeria on the U17 Girls’s World Cup, she stored two clear sheets in 4 matches, conceding solely three targets all through the event.
Her performances earned her the Golden Glove on the inaugural WAFU U17 Girls’s Cup, the place she showcased her reflexes and commanding presence within the penalty space.
Together with her sights set on additional growth, Uzoma may emerge as a backup choice to Tremendous Falcons’ first-choice goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.
Shukurat Oladipo
After impressing on the U20 Girls’s World Cup in Colombia, the place she featured in 4 matches, Oladipo earned a call-up to the Tremendous Falcons for his or her pleasant in opposition to Algeria.
The FC Robo Queens defender additionally featured in opposition to France, approaching as an alternative choice to Michelle Alozie in Nigeria’s slender 2-1 loss.
Together with her versatility and consistency, Oladipo is about to change into a mainstay within the nationwide crew.
