Teenage forward Annabelle Chukwu already turning heads with Canada, Notre Dame

Neil Davidson · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 30, 2025 6:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Just 18, Annabelle Chukwu is already turning heads

The young guardant has a Canadian grounds 39 goals successful 42 planetary youth-level appearances, surpassing the erstwhile Canadian younker grounds of 27 goals (set by erstwhile Canada skipper Christine Sinclair) successful September astatine the FIFA U-20 World Cup successful Colombia.

Sinclair scored her 27 goals successful 19 younker planetary matches from the U-19 to U-21 levels from 2001 to 2002.

On Friday, Chukwu made her elder debut disconnected the seat successful the 64th infinitesimal of Canada's 4-1 triumph implicit Costa Rica astatine Toronto's BMO Field and rapidly made her beingness felt.

In the 74th minute, she roseate supra a Costa Rican defender astatine the acold station to caput a Jade Rose transverse into the way of Vancouver Rise guardant Holly Ward, who roofed a right-footed changeable for a 2-1 lead.

After scoring 4 precocious goals to dispatch No. 43 Costa Rica, the eighth-ranked Canadian women person a acold stiffer situation Wednesday erstwhile they instrumentality connected the top-ranked U.S. successful Washington, D.C.

Canada manager Casey Stoney calls Chukwu "incredibly technically gifted" and a striker who is "unplayable astatine times."

"Talent similar that is rather rare," she added.

The existent call-up is her 3rd from the elder side.

"Every azygous time, I ne'er cognize what to expect but I'm conscionable grateful for the accidental and grateful to learn, make and grow. Be surrounded by players that I look up to," said the soft-spoken Chukwu.

Stoney likes what she sees.

"Annabelle's been great. She's a precise breathtaking young player," said the erstwhile England captain. "She's decidedly similar a uncommon endowment and I deliberation has conscionable got a existent peculiar quality. If you're a fan, you'd wage to travel and ticker her play."

Canada defender Jade Rose, a Harvard grad who conscionable signed with England's Manchester City, says Chukwu is simply a handful.

"She is an incredibly skilful player," said Rose. "She is 1 of those players that amazingly speeds up erstwhile they person the shot astatine their feet. She tin deed immoderate brainsick stepovers.

"She is honestly an up-and-coming endowment and I'm truthful grateful to person her successful this environment. Not lone to situation maine but I'm blessed that she's connected our squad and not anyone else's."

Chukwu, whose duplicate sister Isabelle has besides represented Canada astatine the under-15 and under-17 level, has been a unit astatine younker level.

Led U20 squad to Concacaf title

On June 6, she led Canada to the Concacaf Women's Under-20 Championship successful Costa Rica, scoring the winning extremity successful the 122nd infinitesimal successful a 3-2 triumph implicit Mexico aft other time.

Chukwu bushed 2 defenders astatine the byline and then, from an astir intolerable angle, roofed the victor arsenic the timepiece counted down successful stoppage time. It was the 5th extremity of the tourney for Chukwu, who plays collegiate shot astatine Notre Dame.

Chukwu, who turned 18 successful February, is speedy to deflect praise connected the U-20 triumph.

"Credit to the team. I deliberation we stuck unneurotic passim the full tournament. We learned, we grew from Game 1 to the end. It was a squad effort," she said."

Chukwu was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference 3rd squad and ACC All-Freshman squad successful 2024 with Notre Dame contempt missing six games owed to the FIFA U-20 World Cup successful Colombia.

She scored 3 goals and added 2 assists successful 16 appearances for the Irish, including 12 starts.

"I emotion the school. I emotion the coaches, the team, the playing style," she said. "I deliberation I've truly been capable to turn arsenic a subordinate and make my crippled there. I'm excited for Year 2

Born successful England, Chukwu was 9 erstwhile her household moved to Ottawa for work. Both parents are of Nigerian origin, though her parent was calved successful England.

As such, she besides has British and Nigerian citizenship. She talked concisely with English shot officials but says playing for Canada "just felt right," fixed that's wherever she started playing the crippled astatine property 10.

Eight years on, she is trying to enactment successful the infinitesimal erstwhile it comes to soccer.

"I'm truly not idiosyncratic who looks excessively acold ahead, but I'd emotion to play professionally. I'll spot wherever the crippled takes maine ... I'm beauteous blessed being astatine school, but I'm not definite what the aboriginal holds. I'm open."