# Jennifer Echegini

Jennifer Onyinyechi Echegini (born 22 March 2001) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Première Ligue club Paris Saint-Germain and the Nigeria national team.
Echegini played collegiately for the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Florida State Seminoles. In 2023, she led the Seminoles to the NCAA championship and won the Hermann Trophy as the best player in college soccer. She turned professional with Juventus before moving to Paris Saint-Germain.

## Early life and college career

Echegini was born in the Netherlands to Nigerian parents. Her family moved to England when she was 11. She spent her youth career at SCE Nijmegen, Charlton Athletic, Millwall and Arsenal.

### Mississippi State Bulldogs, Florida State Seminoles

Echegini was recruited by incoming head coach James Armstrong to play collegiately for the Bulldogs soccer team at Mississippi State University in 2019. She spent three seasons there, scoring 11 goals with 6 assists in 42 games. In 2022, she transferred to Florida State University to play for the Seminoles soccer team under Brian Pensky, who had tried to recruit her previously. In her first season for the defending national champions, she had 11 goals and 6 assists in 21 games and earned second-team All-ACC honors. She had two goals and three assists during the NCAA tournament, including a goal and an assist in their 3–2 loss to North Carolina in the semifinals.
In the 2023 season, Echegini led the ACC with 16 goals and had 5 assists in 23 games for the Seminoles. She was the MVP of the ACC tournament, bracing in a 2–1 final victory over Clemson. She recorded three goals and two assists during the NCAA tournament, including one of each in a 5–1 final victory against Stanford, concluding Florida State's undefeated season. She was highly decorated for the season, receiving first-team All-ACC and first-team All-American honors, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, the Honda Sports Award, and the Hermann Trophy, which is given to the most outstanding college soccer player of the season.

## Club career
### Juventus

On 4 January 2024, Echegini signed with Italian club Juventus on a multi-year contract through June 2026. She scored 10 goals from 16 matches before leaving the club in July 2024.

### Paris Saint-Germain

On 10 July 2024, Echegini joined French club Paris Saint-Germain on a three-year contract until June 2027.

## International career

Echegini scored her first international goal for Nigeria on 11 April 2023 in a 3–0 win against New Zealand. She was a member of the Nigerian Super Falcons squad that reached the round of 16 in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

## Career statistics
### International

    As of match played 31 July 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Nigeria | 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| Nigeria | 2023 | 7 | 1 |
| Nigeria | 2024 | 2 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 11 | 2 |
    Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Echegini goal.
List of international goals scored by Jennifer Echegini :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 11 April 2023 | Marden Sports Complex, Alanya, Turkey | New Zealand | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 31 July 2024 | Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, France | Japan | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2024 Summer Olympics |

## Honours

Florida State Seminoles
* NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament: 2023
Individual
* NCAA Division I First-Team All-America: 2023
* Hermann Trophy: 2023
* Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year: 2023