Former Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie has opened up on the challenges that comes with wearing the captain’s armband for the national team, Soccernet.ng reports.
Oparanozie made her senior debut for the Super Falcons in 2010 after rising through Nigeria’s U20 setup, where she impressed at the 2010 and 2012 editions of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.
The former Wolfsburg forward was named captain in 2019 after she was handed the role by former head coach Thomas Dennerby. During her time with the national team, she won four Women’s Africa Cup of Nations titles and finished as the top scorer at the 2014 edition. She also represented Nigeria at four editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament.
Oparanozie featured at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which turned out to be her final tournament before retirement, as Nigeria exited the competition in the Round of 16 after losing to England on penalties.
Since her retirement, the Super Falcons have added another WAFCON title to their collection and are now preparing for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where they will face Zambia, Malawi and Egypt in Group C.
Desire Oparanozie speaks on difficulties of captaining Super Falcons
Following Nigeria’s exit from the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup after a 3-0 defeat to Germany, Oparanozie led calls for equal pay and improved treatment for the women’s national team, especially regarding the disparity in bonuses between the men’s and women’s teams.
However, she was eventually stripped of captaincy before she made her return to the team ahead of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Speaking on The 5th House Podcast, Oparanozie explained how different captaining the Super Falcons was compared to leading club sides abroad.
“On the other side, I captained a team abroad and nobody tells you what to do. You don’t have to break a sweat telling people what to do because everybody knows what to do and when to get them done. Your own as a captain is just to lead your team on the field of play and make sure everybody is in a good frame of mind to deliver and give 100%”, the former Nigerian captain said.
“But when you’re representing Nigeria, it’s a whole lot of things — going to training we’re not in uniformity. Some players are wearing green socks and some are wearing a different colour.
“It affects us mentally and it has always been the problem. If it’s not the problem of equipment, it’s the problem of bonus and that has always been there. It has a psychological effect on players’ performance no doubt.”
Oparanozie also revealed how divisions within the squad sometimes complicated efforts to push for better conditions for the players.
“The camp usually brings a combination of unity, tension and division. Some players stand for what is right and want what is right to be done. Some other players want favour from the ‘powers’ that be.
“When we agree to do some things as a team, some players will go behind our back to let them know what we’re planning”, the former Wolfsburg forward continued.
The Super Falcons will now turn their attention to the rescheduled 2026 Women’s African Cup of Nations in Morocco, which will hold between July 25 and August 16.
