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Ode Fulutudilu (born 6 February 1990) is a professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Spanish Liga F club Real Betis and the South Africa women's national team. She has previously played for clubs in South Africa, Finland, Spain, Scotland, and France. She made her debut for South Africa in 2014 and was a member of their 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup squad. Born in Zaire, she and her family initially arrived in South Africa as refugees.

Early life

Ode Fulutudilu was born in Kinshasa, Zaire, on 6 February 1990. When she was three years old, her family left the country due to unrest and went to neighbouring Angola as refugees, before moving on to Cape Town in South Africa the following year. Fulutudilu's father was unable to find work in South Africa and eventually returned to Angola, but left her behind as he felt she would have a better future there. She subsequently grew up in a children's home. Having become interested in football when she watched the South Africa men's national team playing in the 1998 World Cup, she joined her first organised girls' team. Through this she met a British volunteer (Joelle Holland) who subsequently became her foster mother, and was instrumental in her getting a scholarship to study in the United States at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee.

College career

Fulutudilu spent four years playing college soccer for the Lee Flames, the athletic team of Lee University, winning three regular season titles and two national titles.

Club career

When she signed with Málaga in 2019, she became the first South African to play in the top tier of Spanish women's football.

In January 2021, she left Finland to sign with Glasgow City in Scotland, joining fellow South African Janine van Wyk. However, due to COVID-19-related limits on football, she was not able to make her debut for the team until April. She would score hat-tricks in both her debut and second matches for Glasgow.

In February 2023, Fulutudilu returned to Spain, joining Liga F club Real Betis.

International career

She played for the Banyana Banyana at the 2014 African Women's Championship She also represented South Africa at the 2019 World Cup, the country's first appearance in the tournament finals.

Personal life

Fulutudilu has a bachelor's degree in sociology from Lee University.

References

1. Watt, Martin (5 May 2021). "Ode Fulutudilu: Glasgow City & South Africa striker on being a refugee, God & Glasgow City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
2. Jacobs, Shahida (29 January 2019). "Ode Fulutudilu: From refugee to Banyana and going pro in Spain". The South African. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
3. "First South African woman signs in Spain". BBC Sport.
4. "Glasgow FC duo lead surprising Women's Rankings for April". 3 May 2021.
5. "El Betis Féminas busca más gol con la incorporación de Ode Fulutudilu" [Betis Féminas seeks more goals with the signing of Ode Fulutudilu]. Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). 1 February 2023.
6. "Vera Pauw Names Her 2014 AWC Squad". South African soccer news. 30 September 2014.

External links

• "Ode Fulutudilu – 2013–2014 Women's Soccer – Lee University". Lee University Athletics.
• Ode Fulutudilu at Soccerway
• "Refugee to soccer star". Challenge The Good News Paper.

South Africa Squads

v t e South Africa squad – 2014 African Women's Championship fourth place 1 An. Dlamini 2 Dludlu 3 Vilakazi 4 Matlou 5 Van Wyk 6 Makhabane 7 Mabatle 8 Ramalepe 9 Am. Dlamini 10 Ngubane 11 Kgatlana 12 Modise 13 Thato 14 Mollo 15 Jane 16 Barker 17 Smeda 18 Nyandeni 19 Fulutudilu 20 Nogwanya 21 Mndaweni Coach: Pauw v t e South Africa squad – 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup 1 Mpuru 2 Ramalepe 3 Vilakazi 4 Matlou 5 Van Wyk (c) 6 Makhabane 7 Dhlamini 8 Fulutudilu 9 Mthandi 10 Motlhalo 11 Kgatlana 12 Seoposenwe 13 Mbane 14 Makhubela 15 Jane 16 Dlamini 17 Smeda 18 Gamede 19 Biyana 20 Swart 21 Ndimeni 22 Mulaudzi 23 Holweni Coach: Ellis

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• 1990 births
• Living people
• Footballers from Kinshasa
• Democratic Republic of the Congo refugees
• Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to South Africa
• Naturalised citizens of South Africa
• Democratic Republic of the Congo women's footballers
• South African women's soccer players
• Women's association football forwards
• Lee Flames women's soccer players
• Kansallinen Liiga players
• Málaga CF Femenino players
• South Africa women's international soccer players
• 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup players
• Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate women's footballers
• South African expatriate women's soccer players
• Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate sportspeople in the United States
• South African expatriate sportspeople in the United States
• Expatriate women's soccer players in the United States
• Expatriate women's footballers in Finland
• Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate sportspeople in Spain
• Expatriate women's footballers in Spain
• Glasgow City F.C. players
• FC Fleury 91 (women) players
• Real Betis Féminas players
• Scottish Women's Premier League players
• College women's soccer players in the United States
• Expatriate women's footballers in Scotland
• South African expatriate sportspeople in Scotland
• South African expatriate sportspeople in France
• Expatriate women's footballers in France
• Sasol Women's League players
• South African women's soccer biography stubs
• Democratic Republic of the Congo football biography stubs
• Central Africa women's football biography stubs