‘African football is so different to European football’- Leicester City star pin points difference between European and African football

The Leicester City star had a fantastic debut on Friday, helping Nigeria to a first-leg advantage over Ivory Coast 

Super Falcons defender Ashleigh Plumptre has revealed that while African football is very Physical, European football is more technical.

The Leicester City star recently switched to Nigerian after representing England at the youth level. She is eligible for Nigeria because of her father, who has Nigerian roots.

Plumptre, who loves veteran Nigerian musician King Sunny Ade, made her competitive debut for Nigeria on Friday, helping the Super Falcons claim a vital 2-0 victory over the Lady Elephants of Ivory Coast in the first leg of the final round of qualifiers for the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations.

Plumptre has spent all her life playing in Europe, but even after her decent debut on Saturday, she admits that she is yet to fully adapt to football on the continent.

“African football is so different to European football in so many different ways, and I’m learning that,” Plumptre told NFF TV.

“During my time in Austria and now being here, I’m always learning, and I think some of the things I potentially can help some of the girls is with my tactical knowledge.”

“Their athleticism is something I’m not necessarily used to, so I think it’s important because if I’m going to be invited to more camps, I need to know how to adapt and also kind of blend in both together.” She added

Nigeria travel to Abidjan next week for the second leg of their AWCON 2022 qualifier against Ivory Coast, and Plumptre will look to help the eleven-time champions secure the ticket.