Toni Payne
Nigerian footballer (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Antionette Oyedupe "Toni" Payne OON (Yoruba: [òjédupɛ́]; born 22 April 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Everton.[3] Born in the United States, she represents Nigeria at international level.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antionette Oyèdúpẹ́ Payne[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 April 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | ||
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Everton | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2016 | Duke Blue Devils | 90 | (23) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Ajax | 22 | (0) |
| 2018–2024 | Sevilla | 168 | (30) |
| 2024– | Everton | 33 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | United States U17 | 6 | (3) |
| 2013–2014 | United States U20 | ||
| 2016–2018 | United States U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2021– | Nigeria | 46 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15:03, 22 December 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 07:35, 24 October 2025 (UTC)[2] | |||
Early life
Payne was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama to Nigerian parents.[4][5] She is the older sister of fellow footballers Stephen and Nicole Payne. She and her sister Nicole have played together in the Nigeria national team.[6]
Club career
Ajax
In 2017, Ajax invited Payne for an internship, which led to her signing for the club.[7] She made her league debut against ADO Den Haag on 19 May 2017.[8] Payne scored her first league goal against PSV on 27 May 2018, scoring in the 16th minute.[9]
Sevilla
On 4 July 2018, Payne was announced at Sevilla.[10] She made her league debut against Albacete on 9 September 2018.[11] Payne scored her first league goal against Rayo Vallecano on 16 September 2018, scoring in the 89th minute.[12] On 18 June 2019, it was announced that her contract was extended for two further years.[3]
Everton
On 19 July 2024, Payne was announced at Everton.[13] On 7 December 2025, Payne assisted the goal for Honoka Hayashi to beat Chelsea 1–0, ending the longest unbeaten streak in Super League history of 34 matches.[14]
International career
Through birth and descent, Payne was eligible to play for the United States or Nigeria.
United States
Payne played for the United States under-17 team, and was in the team which won the 2012 CONCACAF U-17 Championship.
Nigeria
In 2019, Payne declared her intention to switch her international career to Nigeria.[4][5] She made her senior debut on 18 February 2021 starting against Russian club CSKA Moscow at the Turkish Cup.[15] Her first appearance facing a national team was two days later against Uzbekistan.[16]
Payne was called up to the Nigeria squad for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations.[17]
On 16 June 2023, she was included in the 23-player Nigerian squad for the FIFA World Cup 2023.[18]
Payne was called up to the Nigeria squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[19]
On 20 June 2025, Payne was named in the final Nigeria squad for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations.[20]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 13 December 2025[21]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental[c] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ajax | 2016–17 | Vrouwen Eredivisie | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 2017–18 | Vrouwen Eredivisie | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 1 | |
| Total | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
| Sevilla | 2018–19 | Liga F | 27 | 7 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 7 | ||
| 2019–20 | Liga F | 21 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 4 | |||
| 2020–21 | Liga F | 33 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 5 | |||
| 2021–22 | Liga F | 29 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 5 | |||
| 2022–23 | Liga F | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 3 | |||
| 2023–24 | Liga F | 30 | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 6 | |||
| Total | 168 | 30 | 12 | 0 | — | — | 180 | 30 | ||||
| Everton | 2024–25 | Women's Super League | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 26 | 1 | |
| 2025–26 | Women's Super League | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Total | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 40 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 223 | 31 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 243 | 33 | ||
- Includes KNVB Women's Cup, Copa de la Reina, Women's FA Cup
- Includes Women's League Cup
- Includes UEFA Women's Champions League
International
- As of match played 26 July 2025
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 2021 | 7 | 1 |
| 2022 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 46 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Payne goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 February 2021 | Mtskheta Park, Manavgat, Turkey |  Equatorial Guinea |
7–0 | 9–0 | Friendly |
Honours
Nigeria
