Michelle Alozie, a standout full-back for Nigeria’s Super Falcons, played a pivotal role in the team’s 2024 WAFCON victory, including scoring a decisive 94th-minute winner against South Africa in the semi-finals.
Michelle Alozie, a standout full-back for Nigeria’s Super Falcons, played a pivotal role in the team’s 2024 WAFCON victory, including scoring a decisive 94th-minute winner against South Africa in the semi-finals. Her journey to the national team began unexpectedly in 2021 due to a visa crisis.
At the time, the Falcons were set to compete in the She Believes Cup in the U.S., but visa issues left them short-handed. “They almost had to withdraw… because they didn’t have enough players,” Alozie said on the Women’s Game MIB podcast.
Coach Randy Waldrum urgently contacted Nigerian-American players. “He had no idea who I was,” Alozie recalled. “I just happened to be in Houston… They came to one training session… and he was like, ‘amazing, you’ll make the roster.’”
Since then, Alozie has remained with the team. Off the field, she works in pediatric cancer research at Texas Children’s Hospital. “It definitely allows my mind to reset… and helps me hone in on those things,” she said.