Nigerian striker Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei has completed her move to Portuguese champions SL Benfica Feminino, joining on a long-term deal that runs to 2028, Soccernet.ng reports.
It caps a turbulent 18 months for the teenager, whose path to Europe was nearly derailed by injury, a stalled Barcelona move, and a passport controversy that made headlines back in February.
Soccernet has learnt new details of how the move came together and can clarify some of what has circulated online about the transfer.
Barcelona to Benfica
Sources close to the deal say Barcelona Femení's interest in Akekoromowei predated Benfica's, and that talks had progressed to an advanced stage, with only a passport stamp standing between her and a move to Spain.
That lines up with earlier reports that she had been on Barcelona's radar ahead of a planned trip to Spain for trials, before she was ruled out by an injury sustained during Nigeria's World Cup qualifier against Senegal.
“Barcelona had been leading the conversation,” Soccernet understands, before the Spanish club withdrew once the injury occurred—which is when Benfica, who had also shown earlier interest, moved to seal the deal. Benfica were reportedly aware that discussions over the Barcelona move had already been underway in Spain, and that context is understood to have shaped the negotiations.
That timeline matches earlier reporting from February, which indicated Akekoromowei was unable to travel to Spain for the Barcelona trial and instead played in Nigeria's 1–0 win over Senegal, picking up the injury during that match.
Clearing up the passport claims
Reports at the time suggested Nigeria Football Federation officials had withheld her passport ahead of the Senegal qualifier, which sparked suggestions that the federation had deliberately blocked her European move. Soccernet understands that framing to be inaccurate.
It wasn't a case of the passport being deliberately withheld, according to sources familiar with the situation, but rather an agreed plan that unravelled after the injury which was to play the qualifier, then process the passport and travel.
The federation and coaching staff are understood to have wanted to avoid losing an important player for the match, not to block her transfer, and the arrangement only fell apart because of the injury that followed.
The Osimhen donation, clarified
Soccernet can also clarify reports linking Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen to Akekoromowei's recovery. It's understood Osimhen did send her money after learning of the injury, via a mutual contact. However, characterisations of the gesture as funding for her “rehabilitation” are understood to be inaccurate—it is described instead as general personal support during a difficult period. The rehabilitation itself was handled entirely by Benfica, with no financial contribution from any other party, Soccernet understands.
Benfica deal terms
Benfica have not disclosed the transfer fee, though sources indicate it fell in the tens of thousands. The deal is a long-term contract keeping her at the club until 2028, and is understood to include a sell-on clause, which is a standard practice for Nigerian clubs, which typically rely on transfer fees and sell-on percentages as a primary revenue source.
Janet Akekoromowei's Background
Akekoromowei, this week, finalised her move from Nigeria Women Football League side Bayelsa Queens, giving her the chance to compete in the Campeonato Nacional Feminino and the UEFA Women's Champions League.
She was the NWFL's Most Valuable Player last season and has represented Nigeria at both U-20 and senior levels, including at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Colombia.
Akekoromowei is the last of 11 children born to a retired police officer, and hails from Ese-Odo in Ondo State, though she was raised in Lagos and came through the Asisat Oshoala Academy. Her rise from those beginnings to a Benfica contract has been one of Nigerian women's football's notable storylines this year.
