A former Super Falcons goalkeeper, Rachel Ayegba has been in the news after she became a bus driver in the UK. Not much is generally known about Rachel Ayegba.
Who is Rachel Ayegba and how did she begin her football career?
She started playing football from when she was young. Her father was a Police officer in Delta State. She played grassroots football before her major break at the international scene. Rachel did well at the grassroots level before joining Ufuoma Babes, Oladimeji Tigress, FCT Queens and Inneh Queens of Benin
She made her Super Falcons debut in 2001 against Namibia. She made her debut when she was young and later she won laurels with the Falcons. She is tall and huge but she had sharp reflexes as a goalkeeper
She played for the Falcons at the 2006 and 2008 AWCON and also at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in China. She also played for the Falcon at the African Games in 2007.
Rachel moved to Finland in 2005 and she spent 11 years there and made history in the process. She became the first African goalkeeper to win a title in Finland when she won the Finnish Naisten Liga with PK-35 Vantaa in 2013.
She also played in the UEFA Women’s Champions League and also had stints with other clubs, winning titles in the process. She was not that popular in the Super Falcons because of the stiff competition in the Super Falcons goalkeeping department, especially with Precious Dede as first choice
She was a player-coach at GKB Kokkola before completing her coaching badges and becoming a certified UEFA licenced coach
For a young player to break into the Super Falcons at that time when she made her debut and played for the team, she must be exceptional. Rachel has taken same spirit to the UK where she is now a bus driver. Whether this is a temporary job, it is yet to be seen. She could still get coaching jobs in England or Nigeria because of her UEFA coaching certificates
Source: Opera News