Paris 2024 Olympics: Falcons midfielder challenges misconceptions about Nigerian football

Super Falcons midfielder Jennifer Echegini has challenged the misconceptions that Nigerian footballers solely rely on speed and strength, ahead of the Paris 2o24 Olympics commencement on July 25.

Echegini, who recently joined French giants Paris Saint-Germain, addressed these misconceptions in an interview with Beats and Rhymes FC. While she acknowledged that being underestimated can work to Nigeria’s advantage, she emphasised that Nigerian footballers possess a well-rounded skill set just like their European counterparts.

“I feel like as a Nigeria or any other African team, they underestimate our football ability and they kind of just base us off strength and speed,’’ the 23-year-old said.

“It’s always ‘Oh they are strong and powerful,’ but we can also play.’ “I feel like a lot of times, teams don’t expect that, and they’ll be surprised when we start playing around them. I prefer if they don’t expect it because it makes things easier for us, but whenever I hear people talking about Nigeria, it’s always ‘strong’ or ‘fast’, and I’m like, “We’re not just that, you know?

“A lot of us grew up playing the exact same way as those England girls or the Dutch girls, so it’s kind of funny when people say we’re just speed and strength. We went through the same process growing up, we just chose to represent the Nigerian team.”


The Super Falcons’ return to the Olympics after 16 years of absence will see them do group-stage battles against Brazil, Japan and world champions Spain. Randy Waldrum’s 18-woman squad for the tournament raised eyebrows with the omission of veterans Onome Ebi and Francesca Ordega who have both played in eight FIFA World Cups.



However, Echegini believes this has brought a much-needed balance to the nine-time African champions. “After the World Cup, we kind of said bye to a few of the older players that have done a lot for the country,’’ she said “We’ve integrated more young players. I feel like it’s more of a mixture of experience with the older players, but also a lot of energy from the younger players and it’s nice to have that energy.

“Maybe two or three years ago, it was more experience and less energy. So, I feel like that’s the difference I could point out, but in terms of tactics, I can say anything. You’ll see when the time comes.”