Deborah Abiodun
Nigerian footballer (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Deborah Ajibola Abiodun OON (born 2 November 2003), ⓘ popularly known as "Kante", is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), and the Nigeria national team. She played college soccer for the Pittsburgh Panthers, earning All-ACC honors twice.
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Abiodun with the Washington Spirit in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Deborah Ajibola Abiodun[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2 November 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Ibadan, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Washington Spirit | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 34 | (10) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020-2023 | Rivers Angels | ||
| 2025– | Washington Spirit | 8 | (0) |
| 2025 | → Dallas Trinity (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Nigeria U-20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2022– | Nigeria | 22 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 1 November 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 26 August 2025 | |||
Early life and college career
Abiodun was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, and attended Nasarawa State Sport Academy.[3][4] Her play with Nigeria Women Premier League club Rivers Angels caught the attention of scouts, which led to a full scholarship offer from the University of Pittsburgh.[5]
Pittsburgh Panthers
Abiodun spent two seasons with the Pittsburgh Panthers under the coaching of Randy Waldrum, also her coach with the Nigeria national team.[6] In her freshman season, she made 22 appearances (19 starts) and scored 6 goals with 3 assists, earning Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) all-freshman and third-team All-ACC honors. In the NCAA tournament, she scored two times, in a 6–0 win against Ohio State in the first round and opening a 3–0 win against Memphis in the third round, as Pittsburgh made the national quarterfinals for the first time in program history.[4][7] In her sophomore season, she played only 12 games (9 starts) as she missed six games due to injury. She scored 4 goals and earned second-team All-ACC honors.[4][8]
Club career
Washington Spirit
The Washington Spirit announced on January 6, 2025, that they had signed Abiodun to a three-year contract with an option to extend for an additional year.[9] On February 7, 2025, the Spirit announced that Abiodun and teammate Tamara Bolt would be loaned for the year to USL Super League team Dallas Trinity FC for an undisclosed fee.[10] Washington recalled Abiodun from her loan on August 26, 2025.[11]
On August 31, 2025, Abiodun made her NWSL debut, participating in a 1–1 draw with Chicago Stars FC as a second-half substitute.[12] Three days later, she scored her first goal for the Spirit, converting a deflected shot in a CONCACAF W Champions Cup match against the Vancouver Rise Academy.[13]
International career
Abiodun represented Nigeria at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, starting three games. Nigeria won their group but lost 2–0 to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on August 22.[2] Abiodun received her first senior call-up the following month.[14] She made her senior international debut on September 3, 2022, starting in a 4–0 friendly loss to the United States.[2]
Abiodun was selected to Nigeria's roster for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[15] She made her tournament debut against Canada on 21 July 2023. She was handed a red card during stoppage time after a VAR review (the first red card of the tournament) as Nigeria held on to a 0–0 draw.[16]
Abiodun started all 3 games for Nigeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Nigeria lost each game and finished bottom of their group.[2]
