Desire Oparanozie: A career that made Nigeria proud
Desire Oparanozie announced her retirement from active football on Wednesday September 13, 2023. In tribute SportsRation review a career that made Nigeria proud.
IN THE BEGINNING
Desire Oparanozie started her career at Nigeria Women’s Football League side Bayelsa Queens FC before moving to Delta Queens in 2010.
At Delta Queens FC, Oparanozie achieved significant success, winning the domestic league twice before excelling at the U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup with Nigeria.
Then a young and promising forward, Oparanozie was instrumental to the Falconets run to the tournament final where they bowed to Germany to finish as runners-up.
ONTO THE BIG STAGE
Her exploits at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World shot her to the big stage – a Super Falcons call-up and move to Turkish club, Duvenciler Lisesispor where she spent two months on loan in 2011 before returning to Delta Queens FC
In 2012, Oparanozie transfered to Rossiyanka where she made her UEFA Women’s Champions League debut in the 2012/2013 season.
At the peak of her illustrious career, Desire Oparanozie joined Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg in the 2013–14 season transfer window, on a 2-year contract.
That transfer did not go according to plan with the Super Falcon making just a single appearance with the first team and so made a move to Ataşehir Belediyespor where she playef the second half of the 2013/2014 season in the Turkish Women’s First Football League.
Her longest club spell in Europe then followed at French Club Guincamp whom she joined in the summer of 2014. At the French Femininé side, Oparanozie rose to the rank of skipper for the 2019/2020 season.
After that season, Oparanozie switched Guincamp for Dijon FC on a two year contract. That was her penultimate career transfer.
At the expiration of her contract with DijoyFC, Oparanozie joined Chinese Women’s Super League club Wuhan Jianghan University for the 2022 season, her club until the retirement call on September 13, 2023.
A CAREER THAT MADE NIGERIA PROUD
After her Falconets heroics, Desire Oparanozie was invited to the Super Falcons team and spent 13 glowing years of service to Nigeria.
A winner of all four Africa Women’s Cup of Nations tournaments she has participated in, Oparanozie also represented Nigeria at Four FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments, the last in Australia/New Zealand.
She wore the number 9 jersey and has 23 national team goals to her name.
Oparanozie briefly served as skipper of the Nigeria Women’s National team in 2019.
As she hangs her boot, Nigerians will look back at the memories shared from her career with pride that she made the country proud on multiple occasions.
