An introduction to Real Madrid Femenino: Chioma Ubogagu

Chioma Ubogagu signed for CD Tacon in the summer of 2019 and will be a part of the attack for Real Madrid Femenino.

In my previous two articles, I covered the two new central midfielders of Las Blancas – Maite Oroz and Teresa Abelleira. This time around, I will be introducing you to a handy weapon of Real Madrid Femenino – Chioma Ubogagu.

Chioma Ubogagu is a 28-year-old, left-footed left-winger, who signed for CD Tacon (as Real Madrid Femenino was called because of the completion of the takeover) in summer 2019 from Orlando Pride. She has already plied her trade at Houston Dash, Orlando Pride, Brisbane Roar, and Arsenal (the club she started out with).

Ubogagu’s parents are Nigerian and settled in London, where Ubogagu was born. She then moved to the United States of America, at the age of three, with her mother and older brother. She has represented the USA as a youth player at several age-group levels, even winning the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2012.

An interesting story from her childhood days was how her father was a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur and always urged Chioma to support Spurs, only to see her daughter become an avid Arsenal fan, a club she would later go on to represent. Her grandfather, Austin Eneuke, was a footballer himself, appearing for the Nigerian national team.

In 2018, Chioma received her first senior national call-up, not to the American side, but to the English side. Phil Neville called her up in October 2018 and handed Chioma her debut against Austria on 8th November 2018. Chioma Ubogagu had a dream senior international debut as she scored a goal.

The summer of 2019 saw Chioma Ubogagu jump the continents and return to Europe, signing for CD Tacon. Let’s get started with a bit more descriptive and analytical part of this piece. You all already know the drill (I hope).

Where does Chioma Ubogagu play on the pitch?

Chioma Ubogagu is a left-winger. Although she is left-footed, she is usually more comfortable playing on the left flank. She doesn’t necessarily hug the touchline since she likes to cut in and move in centrally. However, she is really quick and coupled with her nimble footwork, you have one of the most devastating wide players in Spain.

What will she bring to the table?

There are a lot of things that Chioma Ubogagu brings to the table given she has played at more than four clubs and has firmly established herself as one of the best wingers in the world at the moment.

1) Experience

Chioma Ubogagu is just 28 years old, but she has been football at the top level for quite some time now. She played for the Stanford University team, Stanford Cardinal, for three straight years, making 89 appearances and scoring 27 goals.

In 2013, Pali Blues (now defunct) acquired the services of the player, and a year later, she signed for her favourite childhood club Arsenal. Following her single-season stint at Arsenal, she played for Houston Dash, Orlando Pride, and Brisbane Roar, before finally finding home in Madrid with CD Tacon (now Real Madrid Femenino).

Chioma Ubogagu has been a regular starter at every club she has played at. At 28, she brings a lot of experience to the team. That is only emphasized by the fact that she has played in two of the toughest women football leagues in the world – the National Women’s Soccer League (USA) and the FA Women’s Super League (England).

2) Direct goal contributions

In spite of being a left-footed left-winger, Ubogagu has scored a decent amount of goals from the left flank. That’s not to criticize her weaker right foot, which has often seen her pull off nice goals more often than not. She scored five goals in eighteen appearances in the Primera Iberdrola in the 2019-20 season.

Her passing is way too good for a winger. She can ping long balls and find runs for the number 9 hovering in and around the penalty area. Another strength of her game is crossing, although she can improve in that aspect. She likes setting her teammates up.

3) Work-ethic

Chioma is a hard-worker, both on and off the ball. She will track back when the team is facing a difficult situation or when the team’s left-back is in a very advanced position on the pitch. Her pressing is great too, as she is a relentless presence in the opposition half.

Final Thoughts

Chioma Ubogagu is a very underrated footballer. Yes, she is patchy at times. But we also need to consider the fact that she has changed four teams in six years (women’s football is a bit different in that aspect, just look at Kosovare Asllani’s career). A player needs continuity at a single club to express themselves completely.

With young prospects like Olga Carmona fighting for the left-winger role in the team, Chioma can be a helpful presence due to her seniority and experience. She will be one of the leaders in the team and her quality can propel Real Madrid Femenino to the elite in Spain and Europe.