Recently, a Nigerian jersey went viral online for its special 10-star feature. The stars spoke to the Nigerian Super Falcons’ dominant performance at the Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) where they have won 10 titles since its expansion in 1998.
Last year, the Falcons came from two goals down to emerge victorious against Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses. The winner came from midfielder, Jennifer Echegini. Known more famously by her initials JOE (full government: Jennifer Onyinyechi Echegini), Echegini’s profile has been on a steady increase since signing for Première Ligue side, Paris Saint-Germain from Juventus in 2024. That stardom is one she’s seeking to build upon at this year’s WAFCON, which also doubles as a qualifier for next year’s World Cup.
Speaking via video call from camp, Echegini reflects on last year’s WAFCON win, the desire to make more history, growing up in the diaspora, her nomadic path, from youth academies in the Netherlands and England to U.S. college football, and now, in Europe.
Let’s flashback to last year’s WAFCON finals. You scored the winning goal, completing a comeback from 2-nil to 3-2. What did that mean for you? How did that feel?
Honestly, it was a surreal feeling. I think it happened quite quickly. So as the ball was played, I kind of blacked out. I didn’t even hit it with my foot. It just came off the outside of my shin. Then it went in and I felt just extremely happy. Seeing the girls happy made me even happier, and being able to make my team and my country proud and take the cup home, which is something I’ll never forget.
That was your first WAFCON title. When you think of the feeling of the aftermath. How did it compare to what you thought it would be when you got called up to the team, and you’re training and preparing?
I feel like thinking about winning and actually winning something is very, very different. You can never really, truly know how you feel until you have it. We always believed in being able to win the 10th trophy, but as time went on and the feeling got even more surreal, it still didn’t compare until we actually were able to hold the trophy and raise it. And say that it was ours.
You’re going back for another one. I’m sure you’re thinking about potentially winning it again. I guess the question I have, or just like something I’m curious about, is how it feels now chasing a second title? How are you doing the mental work of thinking this could be another one?
I think it’s important to revisit the feeling of last year, just for motivation or focus in general. I think the feeling of winning the WAFCON is pretty much all the motivation anyone would need to want to win it again. With or without the previous title, I think the goal is always the same. We always want to go into the WAFCON winning everything. There’s a bit more at stake this year with the World Cup spots available. So I think it’s going to be even tougher, but our vision is still the same. We want to bring the 11th title home.
There’s World Cup qualification attached to this WAFCON, and obviously, the World Cup is the peak of international competition. How much does that play a role in kind of how you were thinking about going into this tournament?
Definitely plays a big role. I mean, there are also more teams, so there’s increased competition, but I think whenever you have to go for winning, we’re not really thinking about it because the goal is to win it. And with winning it, those qualified spots will come with that. So I’d say for me, the vision is still the same. There’s not necessarily extra pressure. I mean, when you look at it in the bigger picture, there is. For me, anything that isn’t winning the WAFCON would still feel very disappointing to me personally, despite maybe still qualifying for the World Cup. The goal is still the same.
Thinking of Morocco, who you guys beat in the finals last year. They’ve invested a lot into trying to build the game up. So even thinking about the World Cup this year, and the last AFCON. They’re hosting it again. How much does that affect the prep you guys do? How much would it mean if you guy to overcome all that? Being one of your top challengers, does that play a role in kind of how you’re prepping for it?
I mean, as teams are preparing, we want to prepare as much as we can as well. But personally, I don’t really care what other teams are doing. We’re so focused on ourselves. Yeah, those teams have invested in their sports, and they have facilities, they have great players. But at the end of the day, we’re here at this WAFCON, and the results are shown depending on what’s shown after 90 minutes. So yeah, I think we’re a team that’s really focused on ourselves. And I feel like we’ve earned the right to not really have to pay too much attention to other people. If anything, I think other teams should kind of watch out for us since we are the previous winners. And that’s coming from a humble state. I think we’ve earned it. I think we are the most decorated team in Africa. So, I think we have the right to just focus on ourselves.
Nigeria’s got really rich history at the WAFCON. We’ve never lost a WAFCON final. It’s expected that the Nigerian team will always win. Thinking about the weight of history, how does that affect you?
I mean, we definitely have a lot to carry on your shoulders. I mean, when you represent Nigeria, it isn’t just any national team. It comes with weight, especially when it comes to Africa. There’s just a certain standard that comes with it. I think that makes being a part of this national team even more special. It’s a national team that strives to go high, to go very far, and it’s something I want to be a part of.
I want us to talk about your own history. You were born in the Netherlands, you kind of grew up in England, and now you represent Nigeria. Something I’m curious about, because this is something that you find with people who grew up in the diaspora. There’s a twist and pull you’re always playing with. How did you come to the decision that you wanted to play for Nigeria? How did that obviously shape your identity?
It all happened kind of randomly. I think you might know the story, but I think in April 2022 April, I was speaking to Randy Wiseman (the former team coach) about transferring between colleges. Before that moment, I actually never really thought about playing for the Nigerian national team. As much as my parents got us involved in the Nigerian culture. They took us back home, knew all the food, knew about the language and history, etc. But it never came upon me because I always grew up playing in the Netherlands or in England, so these were the national teams that I was looking at. Then Randy invited me for a national team call-up because some players weren’t going to make it. And then I went, and I just immediately felt like I was at home, and it just felt right. I had more call ups. It wasn’t even really a decision. It just kind of just happened naturally, and it felt like it was right. So I continued. And then one time, I realized, and I was like, wait, actually, this is my national team. This is my home. And it’s been like that ever since.
You’ve gone through the youth system in England and then gone to America. How has that path shaped you?
I think it helped shape me because I think every place you go to is so different. I think every club within a country is different. And then when you switch countries as well, it’s very different, as well. I think the Netherlands is very technical. I think the UK can be a bit more tactical as well as technical. I think the US is very physical; that’s why I really learned a lot about strength and conditioning, and at the time I was probably in the best shape of my life. So I feel like everywhere I went to, I was able to learn a little bit that helped shape me into the footballer that I am today, as well as the person that I am today.
I also want to look at the college football scene. We’re seeing a lot more Europeans going down that path. How did that experience shape you as a player and a person going that far away from home at an early age?
That was my first time really away from home, to be honest, and I was very far. It was a completely different culture, and I struggled, to be honest, but it really helped shape me, and I’m very glad I made that decision to go abroad. I remember the first couple of months, I would literally just cry because I missed home, and then one day I woke up and I kind of just embraced this challenge, and yeah, I’m so grateful for the experience. Even when it became time to graduate and go back to Europe, I wanted to stay because I was so happy there. But I’m very glad I made that decision. I think a lot of players growing up in England through the youth system find it quite difficult to break into the senior team. So people go overseas, or they go down the WSL 2s or the 3s, or they go to the US. I’m very glad I made this path choice. I think it was the best for me, and it allowed me to reach the level that I am at today.
You played for Juventus, you’re now at PSG, and those are some of the biggest teams in the world, so I want to know what it’s like playing at such an elite level, in such an elite environment. How does that shape you?
Honestly, I think I was shaped in college to be honest. I think I came from two very professional environments, and it forced me to kind of have a professional mindset that I was able to take into my pro careers. I remember going into college. I was never the kid who would sleep well or eat well or knew how to hydrate properly, but in college, they taught me all these things, how to recover and the importance of recovery. So, almost when I got to Juventus and PSG, I knew all these things already. So it was just very easy to translate, and obviously when you continue in these other professional environments, it makes things even easier.
On the legacy front, what do you want this generation of Falcons to be remembered for?
Oh! That’s a nice question. I want us to be remembered as the fun group of girls who won everything. A fun group of girls outside of the field, but once we got on the field, we worked hard. I think everyone’s so different here on this team, but I think collectively we want to be remembered for winning it all.
And on a personal note?
I would like to be remembered as making an impact in my community. I haven’t even fully narrowed it down, but education is important to me. I feel like, especially kids growing up in the UK like now, football has kind of become a sport for kids who have more money. So I wanted to offer opportunities and workshops for kids who come from backgrounds that aren’t as fortunate to have the ability to touch a football one day and kind of see how they feel about it.
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