Liverpool alum Rinsola Babajide has admitted that she switched her international allegiance from England to Nigeria because she had a childhood dream of playing in the Women’s African Cup of Nations tournament because of her Nigerian heritage. 

Born in London, Babajide was part of the Young Lionesses squad that won bronze at the 2018 Fifa U20 Women's World Cup and also earned caps at U18, U19 and U23 levels for England before Fifa approved her change of association.

The Roma forward was called up to two Lionesses training camps before making her senior debut for the Super Falcons in a Paris 2024 Olympic qualifier against Ethiopia in October 2023.

The Nigeria Football Federation had monitored Babajide's progress for several years, but her agent initially advised her to stay with England, believing she had a clear pathway into the senior team.

Nigerians took notice of Babajide's goalscoring prowess in 2016 when she scored fourteen goals for the University of East London women's football team in their remarkable 40-0 victory over University College London.

"So when I finally made a move overseas due to the events that played out while leaving Liverpool, I was eventually approached by Nigeria, which I saw as a no-brainer," Babajide told the 49th Street.

"It gave me the opportunity to not only represent Nigeria, which is a great honour, but also to connect with my culture and myself."

Babajide was a member of the Nigeria squad that won the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, where she paid an emotional tribute to the late Liverpool forward Diogo Jota after scoring her first international goal in a group-stage win against Tunisia.

"I’m Nigerian. As big an achievement as it was and with how successful Mission X was, it’s been the pinnacle of my career to date. 

"The proudest moment of my career so far would definitely be lifting the WAFCON trophy in my first-ever mainstream tournament. That has to be the greatest," Babajide added.

With a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations winner's medal now in her collection, Babajide is targeting appearances for the Super Falcons at both the Olympic Games and the Fifa Women's World Cup. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel