Ugochi Desire Oparanozie, born December 17, 1993, better known as Desire Oparanozie, is a veteran Nigerian footballer who plays as a forward in the Chinese Women’s Super League for Wuhan Jianghan University and the Nigerian national team.
Desire Oparanozie Bio:
| Full Name: | Ugochi Desire Oparanozie |
| Date of Birth: | December 17, 1993 |
| Place of Birth: | Owerri |
| State of Origin: | Imo State |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Occupation: | Footballer |
| Net Worth: | $1.5 million |
| Husband/Spouse: | Velislav Rusev |
Early Life and Education
Desire Oparanozie was born in Owerri, Imo State, Southeast region of Nigeria to a Christian family of Igbo tribe.
While growing up, she adopt football as her sole hobby until her school days. She is educated, having completed both primary and secondary school education.
Career
Oparanozie commenced her football journey at Bayelsa Queens in the Nigerian Women’s Championship before transferring to Delta Queens in 2010.
She briefly joined Düvenciler Lisesispor in the Turkish Women’s First Football League on loan in 2011, later returning to Delta Queens.
In 2012, she made a move to Rossiyanka in the Russian Women’s Football Championship, representing them in four matches during the 2012–13 UEFA Women’s Champions League, where she scored a goal.
For the 2013–14 season, Oparanozie signed a two-year contract with Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg.
However, she mainly played for Wolfsburg’s second team and appeared in only one game for the first team in the first half of the season. She departed Wolfsburg in the winter after half a season.
On 21 February 2014, she joined Ataşehir Belediyespor to play in the Turkish Women’s First Football League for the second half of the season.
In 2014–15, she joined Guingamp in the French Division 1 Féminine, where she was joined by Nigerian international captain Evelyn Nwabuoku in the following season.
Oparanozie was named the club captain ahead of the 2019–20 season, and she started her leadership reign impressively with a win over Metz on the opening day.
On 30 June 2020, she signed a 2-year contract with Dijon FCO.
Following her departure from Guingamp, her devoted fans named a bus-stop after her in Guingamp as a tribute for her extended stay at the French football club.
She joined Wuhan Jianghan University in the Chinese Women’s Super League for the 2022 season.
In her junior international career, she scored 2 goals in the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and 3 goals in the 2012 tournament.
Since 2010, Oparanozie has been an integral part of the Nigerian national team, representing them in the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments of 2011, 2015, and 2019.
In April 2019, she was appointed as the new captain of Nigeria by coach Thomas Dennerby, who commended her for her ‘discipline and good character’.
As captain, she advocated for equal pay in Nigerian football after the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, highlighting the disparity in bonuses received by the team compared to their male counterparts.
Oparanozie has also been part of the Nigerian squads in the African Women’s Championship of 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018, and she played a crucial role in both the 2014 and 2016 finals, helping Nigeria secure victory in all four tournaments.
On 16 June 2023, she was named in the 23-player Nigerian squad for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
Desire Oparanozie Net Worth
Desire Oparanozie is a popular Nigerian footballer who has accumulated an estimated net worth of $1.5 million.
Personal Life
Desire Oparanozie is married to Velislav Rusev. Although not much is known about Oparanozie’s husband.
