By Rejoice Taddy and Ogar Monday
Claim: A FIFA licenced photo journalist posted on Twitter that Nigeria’s captain to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Onome Ebi, is the oldest player at the tournament and has secured two Guinness World records.
Verdict: Partly true: WhileOnome Ebi, who is 40 years old, is the oldest player at the tournament, she does not hold two Guinness World Records.
Full text
As the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in New Zealand and Australia, the tournament continues to gather media attention on television, print and social media.
So, it was not a surprise when popular football photojournalist Suliman Pooja Adebayo made a tweet about a player in the tournament.
In the tweet, Pooja claimed that Onome Ebi is the oldest player at the World Cup. Adding to her achievements, he also said that she has made five World Cup appearances, has spent 20 years with Super Falcons, is the captain of the super falcons, and has two Guinness World Records or GWR.
The tweet generated a diverse opinion. A user, LOLADE, asks, “And she still looks this young?”. Another user, Imo Punter, said, “40 years old, I guess, to add to it, and congratulations to her.”
Other commenters questioned the claim that Ebi is the oldest footballer in the world cup. Fawas, for instance, asked, “What about the brazil player Marta?”
The tweet has so far been viewed 158K times and 657 retweets.
Who is Onome Ebi?
Born on May 8 1983, Onome Ebi is a 40-year-old professional Nigerian Footballer who is the current captain of the Super Falcons, the Nigeria women’s national team. After stints in Europe, including clubs in Turkey, Sweden and Spain, Ebi joined Nigeria’s NWSL club, Abia Angels.
Verification
In verifying Pooja’s claim on Onome being the oldest player in the tournament, PrimeProgress checked theFIFA website and saw that Onome is listed as the oldest participant in the 2023 Women’s world cup. The Brazilian player Marta Vieira da Silva, whom many have compared to Ebi, is three years younger than her. Also, a sports media website AS,reportsthat Canadian playerChristine Sinclair, also at the tournament, is 40 years old. However, the Nigerian player is one month and four days older than Sinclair.
World Cup appearance
To verify his claim that Ebi is appearing in her 5th world cup tournament, Primeprogress looked through the Twitter of theFIFA Women’s World Cup, and a flyer shared by the competition organizers shows that the 40-year-old is her sIxth FIFA world cup, with Formiga (7), Homare Sawa (6), and Marta (6), the only players with more appearances than the Nigerian.
Ebi broke into the national team in 2003 and has since remained an integral part of the team.
Guinness World Book of Records
To verify if Ebi has two Guinness records, PrimeProgress searched her name on the records of the famous record keeper, and her name was not found on the list of record holders.
Conclusion
Onome Ebi is the oldest player in this year’s tournament. The 40-year-old Nigerian captain has spent 20 years with the Super Falcons and will be playing in her sixth FIFA World Cup. But there is no record that she has two Guinness records.
A FIFA-licensed photojournalist claimed on Twitter that Onome Ebi, Nigeria's captain to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, is the oldest player in the tournament at 40 years old and holds two Guinness World Records. This claim has been verified as partly true: Ebi is indeed the oldest player, but she does not hold any Guinness World Records.
The tweet created a range of reactions, some congratulating Ebi on her age and achievements, while others questioned the accuracy regarding her being the oldest player. PrimeProgress confirmed Ebi's status as the oldest player and noted that she is playing in her sixth FIFA World Cup, with only a few players having more appearances.
Overall, Onome Ebi is recognized for her long-standing career with the Super Falcons of Nigeria, but she does not hold any Guinness World Records as stated in the tweet.
