Super Falcons captain, Onome Ebi, 40, featured at a record sixth FIFA World Cup — the first African to achieve the feat — at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The defender, in this interview with ’TANA AIYEJINA, bares it all on her career, staying fit at 40, her return to the domestic league and more
One of the major highlights of the 2003 World Cup was you appearing in a record sixth tournament. How does this make you feel?
I think I fulfilled a dream that I never had or thought was possible. I realised that whatever you put your heart to, nothing is impossible to achieve. I will say I am very grateful to God for giving me the strength because it wasn’t easy and for giving me the patience over the obstacles and every negativity and doubts that I couldn’t achieve it. I am grateful.
What is the secret to your longevity?
I will say first of all, I like training, I like to sleep a lot, because I feel when I sleep, I get back my strength. I have some things I take, which I will reveal later so it can help people stay active and fit as well. Also, I try to mind my business because I know there are so many negative things out there. You need to stay healthy and fit to still be active at 40.
How long do you think your legs can still carry you in football?
I just follow my body and I follow my strength every day and every second. The day I feel that ‘Oh, Onome, it’s time, it’s getting to that point’, I will definitely tell myself it’s time. For now, I am just enjoying every moment and being disciplined in what I eat, what I do, how I feel, and how I react, that’s just it. I can’t say I will retire at any particular time, but when the need comes, when I feel it, I will definitely answer my body.
What motivated you to return to Nigeria to sign for Naija Ratels?
There is so much behind my coming back home and signing for the youngest team in Nigeria. If we can remember back then what I was in China, I had my foundation and it was created to support the women’s league in Nigeria. I had the plan since, but I started it when I was in China, and after the league, I gave the winners, runners-up and the third-place teams something. My brand gave them something, so that has always been the plan, to always give back to our league. Before the 2023 World Cup, Naija Ratels were invited when FIFA came to unveil the trophy in Nigeria. I saw the organisation of the team, they are disciplined, and I had to find out what team this was, and when I heard about them, it led me to think differently. Before the World Cup, I met with the founder of the team, Paul Edeh, and when I told him my plan, he assured me that whatever I decided to do, he was going to support me. So, that encouraged me and after the World Cup, I said to myself, ‘I think now is the best time to do this.’ I went to him and told him I wanted to play for his team, and he was surprised because he believed I had opportunities outside the country. I explained myself to him, letting him know what I want to achieve, and he was really open to me and willing to support me. So, that was the reason for coming back home, to support our league and push our league to the next level. I know so many people never saw it coming but that’s Onome for you, I do what pleases me and I don’t care whoever likes it or not. I am very impressed with the reactions of so many Nigerians, that they love it and they appreciate it. It is something I really want to do from my heart, not for anybody. So, I’m always for the league and I’ll support the league anytime.
Were there initial challenges when you started football?
Sure, 100 per cent, there were so many challenges. Mostly back then when women’s football was nothing, my parents never gave me that 100 per cent support. My dad was like, ‘okay, you can play, but you have to go to school’, so that was my big challenge. My father never thought I could combine going to school and playing football at the same time. So, him seeing me, being very disciplined in my training, going to training and going to school at the same time, assured him that okay, I can combine both, I can go to school and play football. It wasn’t easy though, I’m just saying it like this just to cut it short. It wasn’t easy for me to convince him but at the end, he gave me all his support and, you know, pushed me to play. But honestly, it wasn’t easy.
Did he punish you at some point?
Definitely, he did. When he came back from work and he heard that I was not home, that I went for training, he would wait for me by the door. When I came in he would ask where I went to and would scold me. It got to some point that I felt sick. Normally those days when you go to the hospital, they will admit you for like two days and you’ll be out but I was there three, four days, and it was unlike me. The doctor now had to call him (dad) and whispered to him, ‘This girl is fine, but something is bothering her, that’s why her temperature is high. If you know whatever will make her calm, do it.’ So, that was when he came to me at the hospital. I had a trip then, we wanted to go to the US for a competition and our parents were to sponsor us. But my dad was not interested, that was why I felt sick. So, he came to me at the end and told me, ‘Okay, now I see you want to play football. I know it’s because of football you are here, you don’t want to stop, that is why you’re sick. Now I see that you’re really serious about it. I’m going to support you.’ I even still have the picture of my dad taking pictures with me when we went for the screening and everything. My dad and mum went with me, so, that showed they completely supported me to play. I think that night I left the hospital. I think I was 15, 16 or 17 years old then.
You’ve played with several generations of Falcons players, some of the best. Which of these players would you actually say inspired you the most?
I’ll continue saying it. The player that inspired me when I saw her, and I saw everything about her, Florence Omagbemi, she was my captain then, my first ever national team captain. And she was a centre-back. She was my idol then and now I think I’m so fulfilled because all what she was doing then that I was admiring is what I’m doing now. So, I think I’ve really achieved almost everything in football. And I think it’s now time to give back.
Can you remember your first Falcons game?
Yes, that should be in 2003 but I really messed up in that game. It was in 2003, in the World Cup, against the US, they beat us like 5-0. And I caused one of the goals. I came in like 15 minutes to the end of the game. I was playing with the likes of Mercy Akide, Florence Omagbemi, Perpetua Nwokocha, Patience Avre, big names. When they asked me to go in, I was so scared. I was so really scared. So, they gave me the ball in the defence and I wanted to dribble and a US player took the ball from me and went on to score. So, it was like a mess and I was crying all through, but luckily I had good seniors then. They came to me and said, ‘it’s your first game, you tried, even going inside (the pitch), you have the mind,’ they encouraged me the best way they could and that helped me a lot and that was it.
Are you thinking of going into coaching after retirement?
I don’t know yet, but I’ll definitely go for the courses and have all that in my box. It’s something I would like to do, but I’m not 100 per cent sure it’s my first option but I’ll definitely go for the courses. I would love to be in sports management, analysis and writing, yes, but coaching is secondary.
Are you an advocate of equal pay for male and female footballers?
Definitely, because I think women do twice what the men do to achieve what they achieve. So, I 100 per cent support it. If it’s possible, I will be one of the players that will love and appreciate it.
Falcons gave a good account of themselves at the last World Cup in Australia, what was going through your mind when you were playing England and it got to penalties?
Actually, I had a flashback to our penalties against South Africa (at WAFCON 2018), that I missed the first kick but we later won. I won’t lie to you, I was scared, because I know penalties are anybody’s game, but I kept encouraging my teammates to keep going. I just said to myself, ‘all I have to do is just pray, because penalties are anybody’s game.’ We can win or we can lose. And with this one, when you lose, you’re out. So, all I just had in my head was just to pray for the team, because I know even the best player can lose a penalty. So, it was all about prayers for me and nothing else, because I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t go inside and play, I was outside, so I just had to pray for the girls and it came out the other way that we didn’t want, but it’s football. You lose some and you win some. It’s part of the game.
Was it business as usual after the defeat?
No, not that kind of game, we couldn’t move on normally, it’s impossible to move on normally. The game that we played everything, it’s like we played our hearts out. We exceeded the expectations of the world, we showed our class and we ended up losing the game to penalties. It hurt so bad, I cried, I won’t lie. Even on the pitch, I cried. As captain of the team, I just had to hold back my tears. I held my tears, I didn’t want the players to see me cry. I just had to encourage them the best way I could, motivate them that we did our best. It’s penalties, anybody can win, anybody can lose, but the good part about the game is we showed our class. So, we should be proud of ourselves that we showed our class. The players, even when we left Australia, they were still down. And it was a game that we were supposed to win, we had all the chances to win. So, that was why it felt so bad but what can we do? I just have to encourage the girls to pick themselves up, heads up. It’s a game and for now, we are good, but for me, I still think about the game sometimes. But I think everybody is good now.
With the progress of the Falcons, how soon do you think the team can get to perhaps the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup?
I think we are almost close, we are almost close. If it’s not for what happened this year, I think we would have passed it this year because our target was to get to the semi-finals. So, that’s why it’s even hurting till date, that we didn’t achieve that this year at the World Cup. I think we are very close getting to the final. Before the World Cup, I had an interview and I told the journalists that we had what it took to get to the last four of the tournament and people were like don’t be boastful but I know the calibre of players we have now. Both experienced, young players, fast players, strong players, we have all to get to the last four of this competition and I said it boldly before the tournament. So, after that penalty, I felt really bad because I believe in our current Falcons. I believe in the players we have, we are ready to get to that final. So, I think we are there, it’s just to motivate us more, give us all the necessary support to continue pushing the players. The players are ready, but we need more push, we need more equipment, to do more.
How would you describe the NWFL?
So far, so good. I can say I’m impressed with what I’m seeing because they just concluded the pre-season ‘Sheroes Cup’ organised by Paul Edeh. I saw a couple of teams and I was really impressed by how organised the competition was, from the refereeing part of it, the officiating, the teams and how organised the competition was. And that’s not the league proper, so, I’m really impressed because even the media part of it is impressive right now. I’m looking forward to a better competition. So far, so good, I can say it’s better than when I left. But I know we can do more, we can be better than what it is right now, we can get close to the level of the foreign leagues, so, I think we are getting there. I think we have a new (NWFL) board now, I think they can continue from where the old one stopped, to make it better.
You’ve played against some of the best strikers in the world. Which of them would you actually say gave you sleepless nights?
I would say Mia Hamm, that was in 2003, that player is something else. I would say actually all players, all attackers I’ve played against, they gave me their own tough times but if you want me to pick one, I would say Mia Hamm any day, any time despite the fact that it was when I was so young but that player is incredible. And I would say Marta as well. Marta is just, I would say, the female Messi. She’s something else. If you just think about it, you would say she’s not human. She’s a legend, she’s really good. It is never easy tackling Marta because she’s everywhere. She comes from the side, from the middle, from everywhere. She’s everywhere so I’ll give it to her. We have so many good attackers that have given me tough times but if you want me to pick two, I would say Mia Hamm and Marta.
What are your best and worst moments?
My best moment would be the first time I won the WAFCON for the Falcons. That would be my best moment, lifting the trophy for the national team the first time. I don’t think I have a worst moment. Any moment that I feel is bad, it’s a lesson.
The Falcons lost their supremacy to South Africa at the last WAFCON in Morocco…
(Cuts in) We are there, we are definitely there. The WAFCON is next year and I think we’ve learnt our lessons. I like the fact that we have so many African teams coming up. Gone are the days where we played against teams and we won like 5-0, 6-0, 7-0, 8-0. All African teams are coming up so fast.
