Former Liverpool forward player Rinsola Babajide has said her decision to switch international allegiance from England to Nigeria was driven by her desire to represent her roots and compete at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Born in London, Babajide represented England at youth levels, featuring for the U18, U19 and U23 sides. She was also part of the Young Lionesses squad that won bronze at the 2018 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup before later opting to change her national team affiliation following FIFA approval.

The Roma forward made her senior debut for Nigeria’s Super Falcons in October 2023 during an Olympic qualifier against Ethiopia, after previously attending two senior training sessions with England.

Babajide said Nigeria’s approach came at a pivotal moment in her career. “When I finally decided to move abroad because of what happened when I left Liverpool, Nigeria reached out to me, and it felt like an obvious choice,” she told 49th Street. “It gave me the chance to not only represent Nigeria, which is a big honour, but also to get closer to my culture and myself.”

She added: “I’m Nigerian. It was a huge accomplishment and Mission X was very successful, but it’s still the best part of my career so far.”

Babajide was part of the Nigeria squad that won the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, scoring her first international goal in a group-stage match against Tunisia. She described lifting the WAFCON trophy in her first major tournament as the proudest moment of her career.

“The proudest moment of my career so far was definitely lifting the WAFCON trophy in my very first major tournament. That has to be the best one,” she said.

Now a continental champion, Babajide says she hopes to represent the Super Falcons at both the Olympic Games and the FIFA Women’s World Cup as she continues her international journey.