Super Falcons captain Onome Ebi is set to break former American captain, Christie Pearce’s record as the oldest player ever to feature at the Women’s World Cup, after she turned 40 on Monday, The PUNCH reports.
Ebi is the first African footballer to play in five World Cup tournaments — 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015, 2019 — and she is about to add more to her list of honours.
The biggest women’s football competition begins July 20 and will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
The Falcons are paired in Group B alongside Olympic champions Canada, co-hosts Australia and the Republic of Ireland and will hope to do better than the last edition, when they were knocked out of the competition by France in the round of 16.
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For Ebi, it is going to be a record-equalling tournament, if she makes coach Randy Waldrum’s squad, as she is on the verge of becoming just the oldest player to appear at the World Cup.
Pearce featured for the United States against Japan, coming on as an 86th minute substitute at the 2015 Women’s World Cup at 40 years and 11 days.
However, if Falcons captain Ebi is selected for the trip to Australia and New Zealand, and features in their opening game against Canada July 21, she would be 40 years and 73 days, thus surpassing Pearce’s eight-year record.
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The coming 2023 Women’s World Cup will be Onome’s sixth, which will make her the first African to achieve the landmark.
Obi made her debut for the Super Falcons in 2003, and the defender has gone on to make more than 100 appearances, winning four WAFCON titles.
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