Gift Monday

Gift Nyakno Monday (born 9 December 2001) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Nigeria national team.

Gift Monday

Monday with the Washington Spirit in 2025
Personal information
Full name	Gift Nyakno Monday[1]
Date of birth	(2001-12-09) 9 December 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth	Akwa Ibom, Nigeria
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[2]
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Washington Spirit
Number	21
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2018	COD United Amazons	25	(18)
2018–2021	FC Robo		(13)
2021–2022	Bayelsa Queens
2022–2025	UD Tenerife	66	(19)
2025–	Washington Spirit	10	(4)
International career‡
2018–2020	Nigeria U20	3	(0)
2019–	Nigeria	10	(2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 June 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 December 2022

Club career

In January 2021, Monday was named the league's Player of the Month for the second consecutive month.^[3][4] In March 2021, Monday scored a brace to lift FC Robo to a 2–1 win over the undefeated Rivers Angels.^[5] Monday inspired Bayelsa Queens to winning the 2021–22 league title and also finished as the season's top scorer.^[6]

In September 2022, Monday joined Spanish Liga F club UD Granadilla Tenerife.^[7]

On 25 March 2025, NWSL club Washington Spirit acquired Monday from Tenerife in exchange for an undisclosed fee and signed her to a three-year contract with an additional team option for 2028.^[8] She made her club debut on 12 April 2025, coming on as a substitute for Gabrielle Carle in a 2–0 victory over Racing Louisville FC.^[9] One week later, Monday recorded her first NWSL start and goal, scoring after stealing the ball from goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse at the goal line in a 1–0 victory over league leaders Orlando Pride.^[10]

International career

Monday competed at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in France. In 2019, she captained the national team to its first gold medal in 12 years at the African Games after defeating Cameroon 3–1 on penalties.^[11][12] In February 2021, Monday was named to the senior national team squad ahead of the 2021 Turkish Women's Cup. She was part of the team that won the championship and was the first African team to do so.^[13] She scored the eighth goal in the team's 9–0 win over Equatorial Guinea.^[14]

On 16 June 2023, she was included in the 23-player Nigerian squad for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.^[15]

Monday was called up to the Nigeria squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics as an unrolled alternate player.^[16]

Honors

Individual

• NWFL Premiership Player of the Month: December 2020,^[4] January 2021^[3]
• NWFL Premiership Player of the Season: 2022
• Liga F Player of the Month: February 2025^[17]

International

• Turkish Women's Cup: 2021^[13]