Chiamaka Nnadozie: My father never encouraged me to play football
Super Falcons goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie says she never received encouragement from her father to play football.
Instead, the message was that girls never play football, a phrase she ignored as she learnt the basics and now is reaping the fruit of a blooming career.
Nnadozie was undoubtedly the Super Falcons of Nigeria best performer at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, where the team was eliminated in the round of 16 after losing to England via penalty shootouts.
After the World Cup, Nnadozie has been outstanding for her club Paris FC, with heroic penalty saves to inspire wins vs Arsenal and VfL Wolfsburg in the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying round.
In a chat with CNN’s Amanda Davies, Nnadozie recalled that she was never encouraged by her father to embrace the game of football as her of profession.
“It wasn’t very good from my family. They never let me play, especially my dad,” the 22-year-old told CNN’s Amanda Davies.
“Whenever I went to play soccer, he would always tell me: ‘Girls don’t play football. Look at me. I played football, I didn’t make it. Your brother, he played, he didn’t make. Your cousin played, he didn’t make it. So why do you want to choose this? Why don’t you want to go to school or maybe do some other things?’” Nnadozie said.
