Evelyn Ijeh: From Falcons Hopeful to Scandinavian Queen?

When in 2021, Evelyn, daughter of former Nigeria international, Peter Ijeh, and her sister, Josephine joined the Super Falcons’ training camp in Austria, ahead of the Aisha Buhari Cup, it was seen as a quality addition to the senior female national team of 11-time African champions. However, three years down the line, the AC Milan attacker has joined the Swedish team in preparation for the summer Olympic Games

Ahead of the Aisha Buhari Cup in 2021, Super Falcons coach, Randy Waldrum handed an invitation to then 19-year-old Evelyn Ijeh, in which she expressed her delight at having a chance to represent Nigeria, insisting that it was “always nice” to be around people with similarities.

Ijeh trained with the 11-time African Champions in their eight-day training camp in Vienna, Austria, after she was handed, a surprise call up alongside her younger sibling Josephine.

The former BK Hacken forward said then that there was this special aura of feeling welcomed when you are among people of same ideologies.

“It’s always nice to be with your own kind of people sometimes,” Ijeh had said.

“The Swedish national team is where you meet people that you speak the same language but I think Nigeria is more like you actually have some similarities due to the fact that both of my parents are from Africa.

“So, it is more like you come to the Nigerian national team and everybody is the same and are similar to you.

“It’s been nice coming to an environment where everybody talks and there are so much positive energy like everyone is into this and gives 100%,” she had added.

Evelyn had described the invitation to the Super Falcons as an exciting feeling which was unbelievable at first, when she was hinted.

“It was actually really fun to see the invitation because my dad told us we might get invited and when we got the ticket and everything was set, we were like, oh, we’re actually going to the national team so it was really an exciting feeling.”

Now 22, Evelyn has received her first-ever call-up to Sweden’s national team ahead of 2025 European Championship qualifying matches against France and England.

Evelyn Ijeh is one of the two new faces manager Peter Gerhardsson has picked in his squad list announced on Wednesday, the other being Häcken’s Felicia Schröder.

Gerhardsson highlighted that the Swedish-Nigerian forward has earned her first senior call-up on the back of her impressive performances for the U23 national team and AC Milan.

In the past season, she scored three goals in 12 appearances in the Serie A Women.  is already provisionally cap-tied to Sweden after playing competitive matches for their U17 and U19 national teams.

Playing in the matches against France on July 12 or England on July 16 will make the 22-year-old Malmo native cap-tied to her country of birth, Sweden.  

Her father and former Super Eagles striker, elated Peter made this known on his Facebook page. The post reads, “Evelyn Ijeh invited to the Swedish Senior National Team to camp in Portugal . What Jehovah Cannot Do does nott exist @Coach Peter Ijeh.

Meanwhile, Peter had earlier expressed his satisfaction when his two daughters Evelyn and Josephine were invited to the Super Falcons in 2021.

“I never anticipated that my two daughters will get invited into the Super Falcons squad at the same time. I was thinking it’s going to be one at a time. It is good it happened at the same time because they have been together right from childhood. They can look after each other. It’s a welcome development as both of them were invited at the same time,” he had said.

The retired striker, known as the Scandinavian King during his playing days, added that his daughters shared similar potential with him.

He said, “Both had my similarities because I am both footed. I can use my left and right foot very well. They can also do the same thing. I can shoot and score from any distance and they also possess that as well. They have their future around them because they possess the potential that can be groomed into something great.”

Ijeh started playing at the age of nine in IFK Gothenburg until she clocked 17 years old and moved to Kopparberg Gothenburg FC.

“At 17 I was already in the Swedish National Team and played the Women’s Champions League at 18 years old”.

She said her dad played a major role in her career.

“My dad has had a big influence on my career, merely watching him play when I was a kid motivated me to play football, and as time flew he guided me through everything from playing as a goalie to playing as a striker now.

I can boldly say that I have inherited some of his skills such as scoring goals, dribbling, and using both feet.”

“My first encounter with football was when I was six years old. My father used to bundle us to stadium at Norway when he played for Viking. Whenever he scored and everyone screamed his name, I felt it in my spine and since then I wanted to experience that too,” recounts Evelyn.

On why she opted to play for Sweden as against wearing the green-white-green colours of Nigeria, she has this to say, “My father came to Sweden as a young man and I was born and bred here. We are conscious of our Nigerian root because my dad is always talking about it. The opportunity here is good and my family think I should take it and see how it goes. I still have a long way to go and a lot of hard work to put into my games.

We had a long discussion about this and we all feel it is the best for me now to take the opportunity. I am conversant with the style of play in Sweden and there is still so much to learn

She however advise would be female footballer to believe in themselves, set up goals and give 100 per cent in games and training.