- By Demola Atobaba
Super Falcons Star, Ashleigh Plumptre has said she dumped the English team to play for Nigeria because of her Yorùbá origin.
She said she wanted to relive her rich heritage and link up with her roots.
However, none of the South-West state governors, has neither recognised nor honoured her for this unique decision.
Ashleigh Plumptre is one of the iconic starts in the Super Falcon’s set-up at the on-going 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
She had helped her team secure victory over highly rated Australians and had earlier worked for a draw in ancounter with Canada.
She was playing for the England youth teams, but opted to play for Nigeria in the international encounter.
She plays defense and had been
incredible in talents.
Ashleigh Plumptre’s father is Yorùbá from Lagos. She had played for England’s U17, U19 and U23, but opted for Nigeria at the senior team.
The 25-year-old player contributed immensely to the defeat of Australia by the Falcons.
According to her, “For me, I always say that I have to play football for more than just playing it itself. The same way that I chose to join Leicester because of my hometown’s club.
“With Nigeria, I wanted to uncover more of my heritage that I hadn’t delved into before because my dad is half-Nigerian and half-English. My grandad was born in Lagos.
“But I’ve been brought up very British, so, I want to join the Nigerian team where I got to experience food like this, experience more of the culture, I guess.”
