Nicole Payne
Nigerian footballer (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicole Oyeyemisi Payne (born 18 January 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for the Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Born in the United States, she represents Nigeria at international level.
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Payne with the Portland Thorns in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicole Oyeyemisi Payne[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 18 January 2001[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.[2] | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Defender[2] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Orlando Pride | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Oak Mountain Eagles | |||
| Concorde Fire | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2021 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 53 | (4) |
| 2022 | USC Trojans | 16 | (3) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | Paris Saint-Germain | 2 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Portland Thorns (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | Portland Thorns | 10 | (0) |
| 2026– | Orlando Pride | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | United States U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2018 | United States U19 | 1 | (0) |
| 2021– | Nigeria | 10 | (0) |
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 November 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 16 June 2021[4] | |||
Early life
Payne was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama,[3] where she attended Oak Mountain High School.
College career
Payne attended West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia[3] for three years, transferring to the University of Southern California for her fourth and final year.
Club career
Payne signed with Paris Saint-Germain of France's Division 1 Féminine in July 2023.[5] Her first appearance (of four to date[6]) for PSG came as a substitute in a 5–2 win over Dijon FCO on 12 November 2023,[7] with her first start on 20 January 2024 in an 8–1 win over FC Girondins de Bordeaux.[8]
In February 2024, she was loaned to the Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League for the 2024 season.[8] Five months into her loan, Payne was acquired permanently by the Thorns.[9]
On 16 January 2026, the Orlando Pride announced that they had signed Payne to a one-year contract.[10]
International career
Payne was called up to the United States national under-17 team in 2017.[11]
Payne made her senior debut for Nigeria on 10 June 2021 as a 90th-minute substitute in a 0–1 friendly loss to Jamaica.[12]
Payne was called up to the Nigeria squad for the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations.[13]
Payne was called up to the Nigeria squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[14]
Personal life
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, to Nigerian parents, Payne is the younger sister of fellow footballers Toni Payne and Stephen Payne.[15] She and her sister Toni have played together in the Nigeria women's national team.[12]
Honours
Paris Saint-Germain
- Coupe de France: 2023–24[16]
