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Deborah Abiodun
Nigerian footballer (born 2003) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Deborah Ajibola Abiodun OON (born 2 November 2003), popularly known as "Kante", is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for USL Super League club Dallas Trinity, on loan from the Washington Spirit, and the Nigeria national team. She played collegiately for the Pittsburgh Panthers, where she was named All-ACC two times.
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Early life and college career
Abiodun was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, and attended Nasarawa State Sport Academy.[3][4] Her play with Nigeria Women Premier League club Rivers Angels caught the attention of scouts, which led to a full scholarship offer from the University of Pittsburgh.[5]
Pittsburgh Panthers
Abiodun spent two seasons with the Pittsburgh Panthers under the coaching of Randy Waldrum, also her coach with the Nigeria national team.[6] In her freshman season, she made 22 appearances (19 starts) and scored 6 goals with 3 assists, earning Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) all-freshman and third-team All-ACC honors. In the NCAA tournament, she scored two times, in a 6–0 win against Ohio State in the first round and opening a 3–0 win against Memphis in the third round, as Pittsburgh made the national quarterfinals for the first time in program history.[4][7] In her sophomore season, she played only 12 games (9 starts) as she missed six games due to injury. She scored 4 goals and earned second-team All-ACC honors.[4][8]
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Club career
Washington Spirit
The Washington Spirit announced on January 6, 2025, that they had signed Abiodun to a three-year contract with an option to extend for an additional year.[9]
On February 7, 2025, the Spirit announced that Abiodun and teammate Tamara Bolt would be loaned for the year to USL Super League team Dallas Trinity FC for an undisclosed fee.[10]
International career
Abiodun represented Nigeria at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, starting three games. Nigeria won their group but lost 2–0 to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on August 22.[2] Abiodun received her first senior call-up the following month.[11] She made her senior international debut on September 3, 2022, starting in a 4–0 friendly loss to the United States.[2]
Abiodun was selected to Nigeria's roster for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[12] She made her tournament debut against Canada on 21 July 2023. She was handed a red card during stoppage time after a VAR review (the first red card of the tournament) as Nigeria held on to a 0–0 draw.[13]
Abiodun started all 3 games for Nigeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Nigeria lost each game and finished bottom of their group.[2]
Honours
Nigeria
National Honour
Officer of the Order of the Niger
References
External links
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