Esther Okoronkwo facts for kids
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Okoronkwo in 2025
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ijeoma Esther Okoronkwo | ||
| Date of birth | 27 March 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Abia State, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
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Current team
|
AFC Toronto | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Northeast Texas Eagles | ? | (28) |
| 2018–2021 | Lamar Lady Cardinals | 39 | (35) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2023 | Saint-Étienne | 27 | (7) |
| 2023–2024 | UD Tenerife | 10 | (2) |
| 2024–2025 | Changchun Dazhong Zhuoyue | ||
| 2025– | AFC Toronto | 10 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021– | Nigeria | 23 | (9) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 July 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 July 2025 |
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Ijeoma Esther Okoronkwo (born on March 27, 1997) is a professional footballer from Nigeria. She plays as a forward, which means she helps score goals for her team. Esther currently plays for AFC Toronto, a club in Canada's Northern Super League. She also plays for the Nigeria women's national team, known as the Super Falcons.
Contents
Early Life and Growing Up
Esther Okoronkwo was born in Abia State, Nigeria. She later moved to the United States and grew up in Richmond, Texas.
College Football Journey
Before becoming a professional, Esther played college football. She attended John and Randolph Foster High School. Later, she played for the Northeast Texas Community College and Lamar University. Playing in college helped her develop her skills and prepare for a professional career.
Playing for Clubs
Esther has played for several football clubs around the world.
Moving to Spain
In June 2023, Esther joined UD Tenerife, a club in Spain's top women's league, Liga F.
Joining AFC Toronto
In February 2025, Esther signed with AFC Toronto, a new club in the Northern Super League in Canada. She quickly made an impact. On May 1, 2025, she scored both goals in a 2-1 win against Calgary Wild FC. This important victory was the first-ever win for AFC Toronto in their club history!
International Career with Nigeria
Esther Okoronkwo also represents her home country, Nigeria, on the international stage.
First Appearance and Goal
She played her first senior game for Nigeria on June 10, 2021. This was a friendly match against Jamaica.
On February 23, 2022, Esther scored her first goal for Nigeria. It was against Ivory Coast during a qualifying match for the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations. Her goal helped Nigeria win 1-0 away from home. This win also meant Nigeria qualified for the main tournament with a 3-0 total score.
World Cup and Olympics
Esther was chosen to be part of Nigeria's 23-player squad for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023. This is a huge honor for any footballer. She was also called up to play for Nigeria at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Shining at WAFCON 2024
At the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), Esther became a key player for the Super Falcons. In the quarter-finals, she scored one goal and helped set up two others. This led to a big 5-0 win against Zambia, moving Nigeria to the semi-finals.
In the final match on July 26, 2025, against Morocco, Esther was amazing again. She helped her team come back from behind to win 3-2. She scored a penalty kick in the 60th minute. She also set up a goal for Folashade Ijamilusi in the 70th minute. Finally, she made a perfect free-kick pass to Jennifer Echegini, who scored the winning goal in the 88th minute!
International Goals for Nigeria
Here are the goals Esther Okoronkwo has scored for the Nigeria women's national team:
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 23 February 2022 | Stade Robert Champroux, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Ivory Coast |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2. | 21 February 2023 | Estadio León, León, Mexico |  Costa Rica |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 Women's Revelations Cup |
| 3. | 7 April 2023 | Marden Sports Complex, Alanya, Turkey |  Haiti |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 4. | 30 November 2023 | Onikan Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria |  Cape Verde |
4–0 | 5–0 | 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 5. | 5–0 | |||||
| 6. | 5 December 2023 | Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, Praia, Cape Verde | Cape Verde |
1–1 | 2–1 | |
| 7. | 26 February 2024 | Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, Nigeria |  Cameroon |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2024 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 8. | 18 July 2025 | Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca, Morocco |  Zambia |
2−0 | 5−0 | 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations |
| 9. | 26 July 2025 | Olympic Stadium, Rabat, Morocco |  Morocco |
1−2 | 3−2 |
Awards and Achievements
Nigeria
- Africa Women Cup of Nations: 2024
External links
- Esther Okoronkwo at SoccerwayLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 22: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
