Christy Ucheibe: Nigeria midfielder signs SL Benfica contract extension until 2026

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Nigeria midfielder Christy Ucheibe has extended her contract with Portuguese champions, SL Benfica.

On Friday, the Portuguese side confirmed the 22-year-old Super Falcons star will remain at the club until 2026.

The former Nasarawa Amazons star agreed to a contract extension following the completion of her initial three-and-a-half years deal signed on February 2020, scoring six goals in 78 appearances.

After putting pen to paper, the Nigerian international expressed her delight, while promising total dedication to the cause of the Eagles.

“This renewal means a lot to me and my family, I am very happy to renew the contract for another three years,” Ucheibe told Benfica Television (BTV).

“I am grateful for this opportunity, which not everyone has. I will do my best to help the team win more trophies.”

Ucheibe intends to contribute to the hegemonic league form of eagles in Portugal, wishing, in 2023/2024, to win the Super Cup, the Championship, the League Cup, and even the Portuguese Cup, a trophy that the team couldn’t win at the end of last season alongside the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) where the team crashed out at the group stage.

She added: “This three-and-a-half-year period in Portugal and Benfica has been fantastic.

“We want to keep winning, namely the Portuguese Cup, something we didn’t manage last season. We’ll work hard for that. In the Champions League, we’ll try to do our best to move forward in the group stage.”

Ucheibe has won three straight league diadem with SL Benfica since her first in the 2019/2020 season.

She previously played for Nasarawa Amazons in the 2018 season before joining the Portuguese giants after her season-long spell in Sweden, on 14 February 2020, on a three-and-a-half years deal.

Ucheibe represented Nigeria at U-17 and U-20 levels before playing her first tournament with the nine-time African Champions at WAFCON 2022 in Morocco.