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By: Ebenezer Bajela.
Super Falcons defender, Ashleigh Plumptre, says she is proud to represent Nigeria, the country of her father, over England, where she was born, saying she feels incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to learn what it feels like to be a Nigerian.
The 25-year-old defender had represented England’s U-23 team but in 2022 got the approval from FIFA to switch nationality from England to Nigeria based on her request.
Plumptre debuted on a winning note for Nigeria as the Falcons beat Ivory Coast’s Lady Elephants 2-0 in the first of their final qualifier for the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
She has since become a mainstay in the Falcons team with 15 appearances and was part of the 23-player Nigeria squad that travelled to Australia and New Zealand for the ongoing 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
She started all four games, helping Nigeria to keep three clean sheets as the team reached the round of 16, before being eliminated by England on penalties after a 0–0 draw.
In a Twitter post, the defender said she felt great to don the Falcons jersey.
She wrote, “Incredibly grateful for the opportunity to go deeper into my own identity, learn more about what it means to have “Naija spirit” and to showcase to the world what a unified, determined and empowered group of women are capable of achieving. Proud to be a Super Falcon.”
Predominantly a forward or attacking midfielder at youth level, Plumptre scored twice during a 9–0 win over Moldova in the 2015 UEFA Women’s U-17 Championship qualifying round.
In 2016, 17-year-old Plumptre was the youngest player named to the U-23 team for the 2016 La Manga Tournament. She made a combined 30 appearances at youth level, scoring 10 goals.