Justine Madugu, Super Falcons’ head coach, has been nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or prize for the best coach in women’s football.
The France Football Magazine, organisers of the competition,
announced the list in a series of posts on their X account on Thursday.
Chiamaka Nnadozie, Super Falcons goalkeeper, was also
shortlisted for the women’s Yacine trophy.
Madugu faces stiff competition for the women’s best coach
prize against a formidable lineup of fellow nominees like England’s Sarina
Wiegman, Renée Slegers of Arsenal Women, Chelsea Women’s Sonia Bompastor, and
Arthur Elias of the Brazilian women’s national team.
In July, Madugu led the Super Falcons to Nigeria’s 10th Women’s
Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title in Morocco.
The 61-year-old tactician was also named the best coach of
the tournament.
The triumph in Morocco was the first major trophy won by
Madugu since he began his coaching career in 1987. He had never coached outside
Nigeria until he was named the Falcons’ head coach.
For the women’s best goalkeeper prize, Nnadozie is
shortlisted alongside Ann-Katrin Berger, Cata Coll, Hannah Hampton and Daphne
van Domselaar.
The 24-year-old was
named the best goalkeeper of the WAFCON tourney after keeping clean sheets in
four of Nigeria’s six matches.
She has been a consistent performer for the Falcons, winning
the CAF women’s goalkeeper of the year twice.
