Ayinde vows to return stronger from injury

Super Falcons midfielder Halimatu Ayinde has vowed to come back stronger from the knee injury that ruled her out of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The 29-year-old injured her left knee during a training session at her club, FC Rosengård, and had a successful surgery.

She knows that she will be sorely missed by both club and country, especially with no other experienced and reliable replacement in the Super Falcons, underscoring the fact with a statement on her Instagram page along with a video that shows her scoring a sublime goal during a recent outing with her club.

“Watch this if you are missing me. I’m coming stronger,” she stated.

Her Rosengard broke the news in a statement on x. Halimatu Ayinde injured her knee during training and will miss the Olympics. We wish her a speedy recovery.”.

A couple of days later, the knee fell under the doctor’s scalpel, with the players announcing the successful surgery and rooting for the Super Falcons in a statement on the same social media platform.

It read, “It is with a heavy heart that I announce I will not be part of the Super Falcons squad participating in the upcoming France 2024 Olympics due to a knee injury sustained during practice yesterday. While it deeply saddens me to miss this prestigious tournament, I am incredibly grateful for the love and support I have received from my club, FC Rosengård, and my teammates, which ensured that my operation was a success. To my fellow Super Falcons, I wish you the best of luck as you represent Nigeria on the global stage. Your hard work and passion will undoubtedly shine through, and I have complete faith in your abilities to achieve great success. I will be cheering for you every step of the way and will be back soon, stronger than ever.

“Go Super Falcons!”

Ayinde, who has now been replaced by striker Ifeoma Onumonu, was part of the Nigeria national team at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the winning squad at the 2014 African Women’s Championship.

She was named in the 23-player Nigerian squad for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and earlier represented the country at the U20 level.

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