Chioma Grace Ubogagu (born 10 September 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays mainly as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for

Women's Super League The Women's Super League (WSL), currently known as the Barclays Women's Super League (BWSL) for sponsorship reasons, is the highest league of women's football in England. Established in 2010, it is run by the Football Association and features t ...

club

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

and the England national team. She previously played for

Orlando Pride The Orlando Pride is a professional women's soccer team based in Orlando, Florida. The team joined the National Women's Soccer League, the top level of women's soccer in the US, for the 2016 season. It became the tenth team to be added to the l ...

Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record of 36 league matches without defeat. Brisba ...

Houston Dash The Houston Dash is a professional women's soccer team based in Houston, Texas. It joined the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the 2014 season, and is affiliated with the MLS team Houston Dynamo FC. History Establishment On November ...

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, and

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

. Ubogagu played collegiate soccer for

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

and was capped at various youth levels for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, winning the

2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup The 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup was the 6th edition of the tournament. The tournament was played in Japan from 19 August to 8 September, with sixteen national football soccer teams and mark the first hosting of a FIFA women's football tourna ...

. She chose to represent the England national team at the senior level in 2018.

Early life and career

Ubogagu was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where her parents, mother Tina a nurse and father Aloy a social worker, had moved from

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

seeking job opportunities. At age 3, her parents divorced and she moved with her mother and older brother to

Coppell, Texas Coppell ( ) is a city in the northwest corner of Dallas County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is a suburb of Dallas and a bedroom community in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its population was 42,983 at the 2020 census. A small area in the ...

a suburb in the

Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is a conurbated metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas encompassing 11 counties and anchore ...

. Ubogagu led her club team, D'Feeters, to two Texas-North State Cup titles, a U.S. Youth Soccer Association Region II championship and a 2010 third-place U-17 national finish, and led

Coppell High School Coppell High School is a public high school located in Coppell, Texas. It is part of the Coppell Independent School District located in extreme northwest Dallas County. In 2015, the school was rated " Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency ...

to the 2009 Texas 5A state title. She was also named 2010 Gatorade Texas Player of the Year, all-America three times by

ESPN RISE ''ESPN HS'' was a high school sports magazine published monthly during the school year in 25 markets around the United States. Founded as ''SchoolSports'' magazine in 1997, the publication changed its name to ''RISE'' in 2006 and was purchased b ...

and twice each by the

NSCAA The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than 30 ...

and ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

''. In addition, she was all All-Area selection by ''

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'', all four years of her high school career. Ubogagu came to Stanford as the #1-ranked recruit in the nation by

Top Drawer Soccer A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect. Once set in motion, a top will usually wobble for a few se ...

. During her freshman year, she won the

Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

Freshman of the Year in 2011 and helped the Cardinal win their first

Women's College Cup The NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, sometimes known as the Women's College Cup, is an American college soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I women's national ...

, making the all-tournament team in the process. Stanford returned to the final in 2012 and to the semifinal in 2014. She finished her college career with 27 goals in 89 total appearances, made the All-Pac-12 team all four seasons, earning first-team honors in 2012 and 2014.

Club career

Arsenal

In January 2015,

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. It is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federatio ...

Sky Blue FC NJ/NY Gotham FC is a professional women's soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey. Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sky Blue FC from 2008 until 2020. A founding member of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2013 ...

selected Ubogagu with the 28th pick of the 2015 NWSL College Draft, although coach

Jim Gabarra James Michael Gabarra (born September 22, 1959) is an American retired soccer forward who coached the Washington Spirit National Women's Soccer League team, and previously coached Sky Blue FC and the Washington Freedom women's soccer teams. He ...

acknowledged she was in negotiations with an

FA WSL The Women's Super League (WSL), currently known as the Barclays Women's Super League (BWSL) for sponsorship reasons, is the highest league of women's football in England. Established in 2010, it is run by the Football Association and features t ...

club. In February 2015, Ubogagu signed with Arsenal, the club she'd supported as a child and her British birth made it easier for her to acquire a United Kingdom work permit. Ubogagu made her professional debut on 3 April 2015, scoring a goal in a 1–1 draw against

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...

Houston Dash

Arsenal released Ubogagu having reached the end of her contract in November 2015. She finished her season with seven goals in 21 appearances. Subsequently, the

acquired the rights to Ubogagu from the Sky Blue FC in exchange for picks in the 2016 and 2017 college drafts. The trade gave the Dash an opportunity to sign her before the start of the NWSL season in March 2016. Ubogagu was named

NWSL Player of the Week The National Women's Soccer League Player of the Week is a weekly soccer award given to individual players in the National Women's Soccer League. The honor is awarded to the player deemed to have put in the best performances over the past week b ...

in week 4 of the 2016 season for her one-goal and one assist performance to lead Houston to a 2–1 victory over

FC Kansas City FC Kansas City was an American professional women's soccer club based in Kansas City, Missouri. The team was one of the eight founding clubs of the National Women's Soccer League in 2012, and began play in 2013. They were two-time NWSL champions ...

Orlando Pride

On 23 January 2017, the

acquired Ubogagu from the Houston Dash, in exchange for Orlando's natural third round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft. In 2017 Ubogagu appeared in 19 games for Orlando, scoring 4 goals. On 16 February 2018 the Orlando Pride announced they had signed Ubogagu to a new contract ahead of the 2018 season. On 29 August 2019, Ubogagu was waived by the Orlando Pride to allow her to pursue a playing opportunity in Europe.

Brisbane Roar (loan)

On 5 October 2018,

announced they had signed Ubogagu for the

2018–19 W-League The 2018–19 W-League season was the eleventh season of the W-League, the Australian national women's association football competition. Clubs Stadia and locations Personnel and kits Managerial changes Transfers Foreign players Th ...

season, where she would be joining fellow Orlando Pride teammate

Carson Pickett Carson Leighann Pickett (born September 15, 1993) is an American soccer player who plays as a defender for Racing Louisville FC of the NWSL and the United States national team. Early life Raised in Fleming Island on the northeastern coast ...

on loan. She scored her first goal for the team on 29 November 2018, in a 1–0 victory over

Newcastle Jets Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from The Australia ...

. She ended the season with 2 goals.

CD Tacón/Real Madrid

On 31 August 2019, Ubogagu joined Spanish

Primera División Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera, Venezuelan musician, compos ...

team

CD Tacón Real Madrid Femenino is a Spanish women's football club in Madrid. Founded as the independent Club Deportivo TACÓN in 2014, the club later underwent a merger and acquisition process with Real Madrid beginning in 2019 and was officially rebrand ...

Tottenham Hotspur

On 31 July 2021, Ubogagu joined

on a two-year contract. In April 2022, Ubogagu was suspended for 9 months backdated to start from January 2022 for anti-doping violations as a result of taking medication prescribed by a personal doctor to treat acne before signing for the club.

International career

Because of her parents and her place of birth, Ubogagu was eligible to represent Nigeria, England or the United States. She chose to represent the United States at the youth level, playing for their under-18, under-20 and under-23 teams. She settled on representing England at the senior level, accepting a call up from the side in October 2018 and making her England and senior international debut on 8 November 2018. Ubogagu has represented the United States at youth levels, including U-18, U-20, and U-23 teams. With the U-20, she won the

, appearing in all six games and scoring once, and the

2012 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship The 2012 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship was the sixth edition of the CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Panama from 1 to 11 March 2012. All matches were played at the Estadio Rommel Fernández. The top three ...

, where she scored the winning goal in the final, and scored six goals in a stretch of eight games at one point in 2012. Ubogagu received her first call-up to the United States Women's National Team on 31 October 2017 for the set of two friendlies against Canada in November. Ubogagu was not capped for the full national team and she did not dress as part of the 18 for either game.

Phil Neville Philip John Neville (born 21 January 1977) is an English football manager and former player, who is the head coach of MLS team Inter Miami CF. He is also the co-owner of Salford City, along with several of his former Manchester United teammate ...

called Ubogagu up to the England national team for a set of friendlies in November 2018 against

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. She scored on her England and senior international debut in a 3–0 win against Austria on 8 November 2018.

Personal life

Her grandfather Austin Eneuke played for

and

. Ubogagu became an Arsenal fan watching the

North London derby The North London derby is the meeting of the association football clubs Arsenal F.C. and Tottenham Hotspur F.C., both of which are based in North London, England. Fans of both clubs consider the other to be their main rivals, and the derby is c ...

, despite her father urging her to support Tottenham. Her name Chioma means "Good God" in the

Igbo language Igbo ( , ; Igbo: ''Ásụ̀sụ́ Ìgbò'' ) is the principal native language cluster of the Igbo people, a meta-ethnicity from Southeastern Nigeria. The number of Igboid languages depends on how one classifies a language versus a dialect, so ...

, spoken primarily by the Igbo people in south eastern Nigeria.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list England goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ubogagu goal.''

Honours

United States U20 *

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup The FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup is an international association football tournament, organized by FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), for national teams of women under the age of 20. The tournament is held in even-numbere ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship The CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship is an association football competition for women's national under-20 teams in the North America, Central America and Caribbean region. It serves as the qualification tournament for the FIFA U-20 Women's ...

England *

SheBelieves Cup The SheBelieves Cup is an invitational women's soccer tournament held in different cities in the United States in late February or early March. In its first three years (2016, 2017 and 2018), it was contested by the same four teams: the United ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

References

External links

*
Stanford profile

US Soccer profile

Arsenal profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ubogagu, Chioma 1992 births Living people Footballers from Greater London American women's soccer players English emigrants to the United States Stanford Cardinal women's soccer players Arsenal W.F.C. players American people of Igbo descent American expatriates in England Women's Super League players Pali Blues players Soccer players from Texas Sportspeople from the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex People from Coppell, Texas Parade High School All-Americans (girls' soccer) Women's association football forwards Houston Dash players Brisbane Roar FC (A-League Women) players National Women's Soccer League players Igbo sportspeople NJ/NY Gotham FC draft picks United States women's under-20 international soccer players English people of Nigerian descent American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Orlando Pride players English women's footballers England women's international footballers English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate women's soccer players in the United States English expatriate women's footballers Real Madrid Femenino players Primera División (women) players African-American women's soccer players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American women Black British sportswomen