Nigeria ace Ashleigh Plumptre turned down England callup as sister faced racism

05 August 2023 , 18:55

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Ashleigh Plumptre, a big Leicester fan, chose to represent Nigeria

The Lionesses will be up against an old teammate when they take on Nigeria in the last 16 of the World Cup on Monday.

Because one of the team in green has played alongside some of them in an England shirt. Leicester-born swapped from Lioness to Super Falcon after being inspired to research her family roots when her little sister faced racism. Her dad Tim says: “She’s patriotic about England and also proud she’s Nigerian too. She’s been brought up around both cultures and has done it for her own self-discovery, for her sister and to inspire children with parents from other cultures.”

Ashleigh, 25, played for England from under-15s to under-23s level, alongside the likes of Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo and Georgia Stanway, before making her Nigeria debut last year. She qualified to play for the Super Falcons through African-born grandad Harry. And it was in Covid that she began researching her roots after darker-skinned old sister Bayleigh, 12, told her about her problems with racism.

Ashleigh, who is a central defender, played for England U17 (The FA via Getty Images)

The footballer swapped Lioness for the Super Falcons after researching her roots (FIFA via Getty Images)

After Ashleigh applied to swap national teams though FIFA, England invited her to join the senior Lionesses. Tim says: “She thanked them but said her mind was made up. The Nigeria coach already knew of Ashleigh and was so pleased. He said to me ‘we’d love to have her, she could do a big job for us."

Now Tim, 53, says Ashleigh and her Nigerian team-mates are like sisters. And Super Falcons fans affectionately chant “white girl” in tribute to their new star. “They’ve never come across a white Nigerian,” says Tim. “She’s a bit of a trailblazer.”

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Ashleigh grew up as part of the England youth set-up before heading off to America on a scholarship, graduating in human biology at the University of Southern California. She played for the USC Trojans team before returning to sign for her home club Leicester City last season.

Ashleigh was born in Leicester but qualified to play for Nigeria through her grandad Harry

Ashleigh is pictured with her grandfather, whose family spoke of their pride

Tim reckons she’ll be Nigeria’s secret weapon against England. “Ashleigh knows exactly what to anticipate from England’s players. She knows their weaknesses and strengths. She and her team-mates are like sisters. They will die for each other on the pitch. When she got to Nigeria she couldn’t believe how strong her new team-mates were. When a ball was smashed into one of the girls she said ‘if that was an England player they’d be on the floor screaming and crying.’"

Tim will watch the match at home with wife Joanna and Bayleigh. He said: “Getting to the World Cup is what Ashleigh’s been working for. She’s on a journey of discovery. I’m really proud."

Patrick Hill