Super Falcons forward Rinsola Babajide has revealed that her goal celebration in Nigeria’s 3-0 WAFCON victory over Tunisia was a heartfelt tribute to late Liverpool star, Diogo Jota, who passed away last week.
Babajide’s goal came just before halftime as she recieved a pass from Toni Payne inside the penalty area before driving forward and firing a precise shot past the goalkeeper to double Nigeria’s lead, following Asisat Oshoala’s opener.
However, it was Babajide’s celebration that captured the attention of fans. She honoured Jota by performing his trademark celebration — a gesture that resonated with supporters and drew widespread praise for its touching significance.
The moment held even greater meaning given Babajide’s history with Liverpool, where she played for four seasons between 2018 and 2022. During her time at the club, she was named Liverpool Women’s Player of the Season for the 2019-20 campaign. Remarkably, at a point she also wore the same jersey number (20) as the late Jota.
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“It was for Diogo Jota and his brother as well. That was like one of his biggest celebrations at the club especially. We call it the signature celebration really,” Babajide said in an interview with Ademola Victor.
“I just wanted to do something for him. He was like one of my best players at the club when I was there as well. May his soul rest in perfect peace, both of them,” she added.
Babajide also expressed her joy at finally scoring her first international goal: “It’s a big relief more than anything. I’ve had a few appearances, a few assists, but I was always missing that first goal. So I’m so happy to get that out of the way finally and also to contribute towards the win as well in such a big tournament, it’s such a privilege.”
Looking ahead, Babajide underlined the team’s ambition for the tournament: “To win it. We want the trophy. It’s a new trophy, we really want it. But yeah, game by game, just to have a better performance each game and yeah, score as many goals as possible that we can do.”
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