Nkiru Okosieme
Nkiru Doris "NK" Okosieme (born 1 March 1972) is a former captain of the Nigeria women's national football team. She played as a midfielder. Okosieme played in four FIFA Women's World Cups (1991, 1995, 1999 and 2003). She played many African Women Cup of Nations games. In 2000, she played in the Summer Olympics.[1] Okosieme was called "The Headmistress". This was because she would sometimes score important goals with her head.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nkiru Doris Okosieme | ||
| Date of birth | 1 March 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000 | King Tornado | ||
| 2001–2004 | Clayton State Lakers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| S.C. Imo State | |||
| Rivers Angels | |||
| 2000–2005 | Charlotte Lady Eagles | ||
| National team | |||
| 1991–2003 | Nigeria | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Career
Okosieme became the captain for Nigeria in the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup. She was still a teenager.[3]
At the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, Okosieme was playing for Rivers Angels.[4][5] She scored three goals in four games. Nigeria reached the quarter-finals. They then lost 4–3 to Brazil. Okosieme loved playing in America so much that she joined USL W-League club Charlotte Lady Eagles. She also went to an American university. Here, she played college soccer.[6] She won the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year. In all four years of college, she was in the All-Regional team. She was also a NSCAA All-American.
Okosieme has won the Africa Women Cup of Nations in 1998, 2000 and 2002.
Her brother Ndubuisi Okosieme was also an international footballer.[7]
References
- ↑ FIFA.com[dead link]
- ↑ Sadjere, Clement (12 January 2011). Top 4 Female Nigerian Footballers and Their Nicknames. E-Zine Articles.
- ↑ "FIFA Women's World Cup China '91 – Technical Report & Statistics" (PDF). FIFA. p. 82. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
- ↑ "OKOSIEME Nkiru". FIFA. Archived from the original on 10 February 2001. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
- ↑ USA 1999: Nigeria. SoccerTimes.com. http://www.soccertimes.com/worldcup/1999/capsules/nigeria.htm. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
- ↑ Jones, Grahame (12 October 2003). "U.S. Is a Shoe-in for Bronze". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2003/oct/12/sports/sp-wwcthirdplace12/2. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
- ↑ Otitoju, Babajide (22 April 2002). "Ndubuisi Okosieme: Abuja's Garincha". allAfrica.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2003. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
Other websites
- Nkiru Okosieme – FIFA competition record
- Nkiru Okosieme at Olympics.com
- Profile at Clayton State University
Template:Nigeria women's football squad 2000 Summer Olympics Template:Nigeria squad 2002 African Women's Championship Template:Nigeria squad 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup