Former Liverpool winger Rinsola Babajide says choosing to represent Nigeria instead of England is one of the best decisions of her football career, Soccernet.ng reports.
The double-winning AS Roma forward insists she feels fortunate to have benefited from both countries during her journey to the top.
Born and raised in London to Nigerian parents, Babajide was eligible to play for both England and the West African nation. Her football career began in England, where she developed through the youth systems before playing professionally for Crystal Palace, Millwall Lionesses and Watford. In 2018, she earned a move to Liverpool, where she enjoyed a breakthrough spell and finished as the club’s top scorer during the 2019/20 season, earning the club’s Women’s Player of the Season award.
Her international career also started with England. Babajide represented the country at Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 levels and was part of the England squad that claimed the bronze medal at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
However, after leaving Liverpool for Spanish side Real Betis in 2022, she decided to switch her international allegiance to Nigeria. The move was completed shortly afterwards, and she made her Super Falcons debut in 2023.
Since then, Babajide has become an important member of the Nigerian squad. She played a key role as the Super Falcons won the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco, helping Nigeria secure a record-extending 10th continental title. During the tournament, she made an immediate impact by scoring and providing an assist in Nigeria’s 3-0 victory over Tunisia in the opening Group B match before continuing to impress throughout the competition.
Now preparing for another delayed WAFCON campaign later this month, the AS Roma winger reflected on the path that brought her to the Super Falcons. While speaking in an interview published by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Babajide praised England for laying the foundation of her career while expressing deep appreciation for the opportunity to represent Nigeria.
“I’ve been blessed to have the best of two worlds. England helped me develop my game from age-grade football; I am forever grateful for that. I have continued to grow as an experienced player with Nigeria and I do not take this for granted.”
The 27-year-old believes her experiences in both football systems have helped shape her into a stronger player both on and off the pitch.
“I have learnt resilience and professionalism in both environments and these make me a better player and a better person. We know what it takes to win and as a team, we will give it our all in Morocco to retain the trophy. We are all determined to make Nigeria proud in Morocco.”
Nigeria: Babajide targets another WAFCON title with Super Falcons
Babajide is now focused on helping Nigeria defend their African crown when the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations takes place in Morocco from July 26 to August 16. The tournament also carries extra importance because it serves as part of the qualification process for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The competition has been expanded from 12 teams to 16 teams, meaning more countries will battle for the continental title and World Cup places. Even so, Babajide believes Nigeria’s objective remains unchanged.
She admitted that the larger tournament will increase competition but insisted the defending champions are fully focused on retaining their trophy.
“I think it makes it more exciting. We all know that this year’s Women AFCON is also for qualification to the World Cup finals. Of course, we all want to be there. I think it will make it more competitive but for us, the goal remains the same.”
Babajide, who joined Italian champions AS Roma in July 2025 after successful spells in Spain with Real Betis and UD Tenerife, believes the Super Falcons understand the expectations that come with wearing Nigeria’s colours.
The winger says the squad is placing pressure only on themselves to perform because they know what is required to remain African champions.
“For us as a team, whether we are playing just to be crowned champions of Africa or for qualification to next year’s World Cup, the pressure is the same as we want to win. The only pressure actually is the one we put on ourselves. We know what we signed up for as professionals and being the defending champions, we want to retain our trophy.”
The 2025 WAFCON kicks off on July 26 with the Super Falcons’ first match against Malawi scheduled for July 28th.
