Super Falcons star Oparanozie retires thanks fans for support
Super Falcons striker, Desire Ugochi Oparanozie has announced her decision to retire from football at the age of 29.
According to the player, she is retiring from professional football for both club and country because she believes it is the best time to do so.
Oparanozie who announced her decision in a personally signed post via her account on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter), was full of appreciation to her fans, family, friends, team and coach she has worked with and played with.
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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 To every team and coach I have played for, to every mate I’ve played alongside, and to every opponent I have played against, thank you all for being part of this incredible journey. Thank you football, thank you Nigeria.”
It would be recalled that Oparanozie missed her penalty kick in the Super Falcons’ game against the ten-woman Lionesses of England in the round of 16 of the 2023 Women’s World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Reacting to the defeat, Oparanozie via her social media handle apologized to Nigerians for the failed kick during the game.
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She wrote: “Sad day! Very disappointing to have lost through penalties, and even more disappointing not to have converted mine. And for this, I deeply apologize.”
Born on 17th December 1993, Oparanozie played as a forward in the Chinese Women’s Super League for Wuhan Jianghan University before announcing her retirement on Wednesday.
As a junior international Oparanozie scored 2 goals in the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and 3 goals in the 2012 tournament.
She participated in four world cups 2011, 2015, and 2019 and the last one in Australia and New Zealand 2023.
In April 2019, she was named the new captain of Nigeria by coach Thomas Dennerby who praised Oparanozie for her ‘discipline and good character’.
Following the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, in her role as captain, she led calls for equal pay in Nigerian football citing disparity with the bonuses received by the team’s male counterparts.
She has also been part of the Nigerian squads of the African Women’s Championship of 2010 and 2014, 2016 and 2018, winning all four tournaments. She scored crucial goals in both the 2014 and 2016 finals.