Desire Ugochi Oparanozie, the former captain of the Super Falcons of Nigeria, has officially announced her retirement from international and club football at the age of 29. This significant announcement was made on her verified social media platform, X, on Wednesday.

Expressing her heartfelt gratitude to her loyal fans, family, and friends, she conveyed her appreciation for their unwavering love and support throughout her career. Oparanozie emphasized that there is no better time than now to bid farewell to the sport, saying, “I’m officially announcing my retirement from professional football for club and country.”

Desire Oparanozie rose to prominence due to her outstanding performance at the FIFA 2010 U-20 Women’s World Cup with the Falconets in Germany. Her exceptional strength and ability to overpower opponents earned her the well-deserved nickname “The Bull.”

Oparanozie commenced her remarkable career with the Super Falcons in 2010, amassing an impressive record of 35 caps and 22 goals. She clinched the Golden Boot at the 2014 African Women’s Championship with five goals and served as the team’s captain during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. Her insistence as captain that Nigeria Football Federation paid up the allowances owed the players earned her a two year blacklist from the national team.

Her journey led her to participate in four FIFA Women’s World Cups, including 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023, with her final appearance being in the 2023 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match against England. She also participated and won the title in four African Women’s Championship in 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2018.

Her professional journey began with Bayelsa Queens in the Nigerian Women’s Championship before she ventured abroad for a two-month loan at Düvenciler Lisesispor in the Turkish Women’s First Football League in 2011, later returning to Delta Queens.

In 2012, Oparanozie joined Rossiyanka in the Russian Women’s Football Championship, where she made a mark by playing in four matches during the 2012–13 UEFA Women’s Champions League and scoring a crucial goal.

Her talents took her to the Bundesliga, where she signed a two-year contract with VfL Wolfsburg for the 2013–14 season. Subsequently, she transferred to Ataşehir Belediyespor to complete the second half of the season in the Turkish Women’s First Football League. Her journey continued as she joined Guingamp of the French Division 1 Féminine for the 2014–15 season, remaining with the team until 2020.

Prior to her retirement, Oparanozie signed a two-year contract with Dijon FCO and later assumed the role of the team’s captain. In a final chapter of her career, she joined the Chinese Women’s Super League club Wuhan Jianghan University for the 2022 season.

Desire Ugochi Oparanozie’s retirement marks the end of an era in women’s football, as her contributions to the sport will be remembered and celebrated for years to come.