Super Falcons stars Francisca Ordega and Ashleigh Plumptre have both been shortlisted for the Player of the Month award in the Saudi Women's Premier League, making history as the first Nigerian duo to be nominated in the same month, Soccernet.ng reports.
The two Al-Ittihad teammates are up against DR Congo’s Naomie Kabakaba in a tightly contested race for the league’s top individual honour for March.
Kabakaba, who joined Al-Ahli from Turkish giants Galatasaray in January 2024, has been a major impact in the Saudi top flight.
The 27-year-old winger, and first Congolese to feature in the Saudi Women’s top flight, netted five goals in three matches to inspire her team to two wins from three.
However, the Congolese international faces stiff competition from the in-form Nigerian pair.
فرانسيسكا اورديجا
— الدوري السعودي الممتاز للسيدات (@Saudi_WPL) April 14, 2025
نعومي كاباكابا
آشلي بلمتر
✅ إليكم المرشحين للتصويت لجائزة أفضل لاعبة في الـشـهـر ضمن #الدوري_الممتاز_للسيدات | #شوفوا_دورينا pic.twitter.com/faYUU3TL7g
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Ordega has been in electric form since arriving at Al-Ittihad in January from CSKA Moscow. The experienced forward scored four goals and provided three assists across three appearances in March, directly contributing to seven of Al-Ittihad’s goals during that period.
The 31-year-old – a four-time Africa Women’s Cup of Nations winner – produced a standout performance on March 15, scoring a brilliant hat-trick in Al-Ittihad’s emphatic 9-0 win over Al Taraji. That came after she grabbed a consolation goal in their narrow 2-1 defeat at Al Nassr.
The former Atlético Madrid forward has now registered five goals in her first five matches for the Jeddah-based side.
Also shining for Al-Ittihad is defender Ashleigh Plumptre, who, despite playing from a deeper role, tallied two goals and three assists in March.
Now the club’s captain, the 18-cap Nigerian international continues to impress following her arrival from Leicester City in September 2023.
Plumptre’s performances have not gone unnoticed, and she remains in close contention for the award.
As of the time of reporting, Ordega leads the fan voting poll with 40.9% of the votes, closely followed by Plumptre with 38.5%. Kabakaba trails with 20.6%.
Both Nigerians are expected to return to action this weekend as Al-Ittihad host Al Shabab at the Prince Faisal bin Fahad Stadium in Jeddah.
