Super Falcons striker Desire Oparanozie has called time on her illustrious career at the age of 29 as she confirmed the decision to retire with a social media post on her verified accounts on Wednesday.
Oparanozie made her international debut in 2010 and went on to becoming a key member of the Nigerian women’s national team and winning four AWCON titles.
The striker began her club football with the NWFL side, Bayelsa Queens before a sojourn to Delta Queens, before her first move to Turkey.
The Super Falcons forward joined Wuhan Jianghan University last year which will now be her last club.
“To every team and coach I have played for, to every mate I’ve played alongside, and to every opponent I have played against, thank you all for being part of this incredible journey. Thank you, football, thank you Nigeria,” Oparanozie stated via her social media handles
Oparanozie had a running battle with the Nigeria Football Federation egg heads for speaking up about the welfare packages for the team leading to her omission from the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The striker was however recaed t pool the team ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Oparanozie missed a penalty as the team lost 4-2 to England in the round of 16 stages of the World Cup.
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Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
