Nigerian left-back, Bruno Onyemaechi, has announced the birth of his first child with Portuguese partner Ines Fontes, sharing the news on social media over the weekend.

Bruno Onyemaechi posted a photo of himself cradling the newborn with the caption, “Best gift ever.”

The couple have been together since 2022 and recently marked their second anniversary. Fontes, a content creator, had been sharing photos of the pair in recent weeks and confirmed the birth with images from the hospital.

The arrival sheds light on Onyemaechi’s absence from the Super Eagles’ training camp after Friday’s international friendly against Iran. His whereabouts had sparked speculation after he missed the team’s first session following the victory.

With the latest update, the defender’s involvement in Nigeria’s friendly against Jordan on Tuesday is now in doubt.

The 26-year-old featured for the Nigeria national football team in the match against Iran before travelling to be with his partner for the birth.

Fontes has been a regular presence at Onyemaechi’s games, and the couple revealed they were expecting earlier in March through social media posts showing her baby bump.

Onyemaechi currently plays for Greek giants Olympiacos F.C.. The gender of the child has not been disclosed at the time of writing.