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WAFCON 2024: CAF profiles Rasheedat Ajibade as Captain and Compass of Super Falcons
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) released the profile of Nigeria’s senior women’s national team captain, Rasheedat Ajibade as the Super Falcons continue their quest to win the 10th African title in Morocco.
At just 25, Ajibade stands as both the heartbeat and the head of Nigeria’s Super Falcons. From a shy, steely-eyed rookie at the 2018 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), to the commanding captain of the 2024 edition, Ajibade’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. Once a spark off the bench, she is now the torchbearer—a player who doesn’t just chase the game but shapes it.
2018 – A Rookie with Sharp Cleats and Quiet Fire
She arrived in Ghana in 2018 not yet 19 years old—shaved head, fleet-footed, eyes wide with ambition. The Super Falcons were a temple of legends—Rita Chikwelu, Desire Oparanozie, Ngozi Ebere—and Ajibade watched, learned, and waited.
In the high-stakes semifinal against Cameroon, she came on as a substitute and took a pressure-laden penalty with the calm of a veteran. Nigeria won. Days later, she was lifting her first continental trophy, just before her 19th birthday. That moment was more than a medal—it was a signal flare of things to come.
2022 – The Established Star from Europe
By 2022, Ajibade had traded Lagos for the tactical discipline of Europe—first with Avaldsnes IL in Norway, and then Atlético Madrid, where her game evolved with precision. The electric blue hair became her trademark; the football brain became her weapon.
“In Madrid, I learned to play more accurately,” she told the BBC. “See before I receive.” She returned to Morocco not as an understudy, but as a pillar. Three goals, top scorer honors, a place in the tournament’s Best XI, and a stunning match-winner against Cameroon—all testament to a player in full bloom.
Still, the end stung. Suspended for the semifinal, she watched helplessly as Nigeria exited on penalties and then fell to Zambia in the third-place match. It was a reminder: this team needs Ajibade not just present, but leading from the front.
2024 – The Captain, The Conductor, The Core
Now captain, Ajibade no longer fights to prove herself. She is the proof. Her leadership is quiet but clear, assertive without being flashy. She leads by rhythm and presence—pulling strings, tightening bolts, applying pressure, and relieving it with the calm of a seasoned general.
Against Botswana in Casablanca, she didn’t score. She didn’t need to. With 81 touches, five key passes, three shots on target, and eight duels won, she controlled the match like a maestro with a metronome. Her influence transcended numbers—it was in how she read the moments, calmed the nerves, pushed the tempo.
Ajibade has become more than a winger, more than a forward. She is the compass of a new-look Super Falcons—less flamboyant but more stable, less individualistic but more cohesive. In a team still chasing a return to continental dominance, she is the pulse and the promise.
A Legacy in Motion
From a young girl with dreams to a woman carrying the weight of a nation’s footballing pride, Rasheedat Ajibade has climbed every step with patience, precision, and purpose. She is the vision for what Nigerian women’s football can become: smart, strong, unshaken.
If the Super Falcons are to reclaim their throne, they will do it following the path Ajibade is carving—one calm pass, one fierce duel, one decisive moment at a time.
