By Monsurah Olatunji
Tenerife star Rinsola Babajide has expressed her excitement after being named in Nigeria’s squad for their upcoming international friendly against France.
The Super Falcons are set to face 2019 World Cup hosts France at Stade Raymond Kopa in Angers on November 30th, with interim coach Justin Madugu releasing the list of invited players.
Born to Nigerian parents in England, Babajide initially represented England at youth levels, including being part of the England U20 team that won a bronze medal at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
However, she had not represented the senior Lionesses before switching her allegiance to Nigeria.
She received her first call-up to the Super Falcons in 2023 for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games second-round qualifiers against Ethiopia and made her debut in October 2023, starting in a 1-1 draw during the 2024 Olympic qualifiers.
Babajide, who currently plays for Spanish club Tenerife in Liga F, has impressed with three goals and one assist in nine matches, earning her a return to the national team.
“Always an honour to be selected to represent my country,” Babajide shared on X, expressing her pride in the call-up.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
