'It runs in my DNA' – Paris FC star Chiamaka Nnadozie on becoming a footballer

By Monsurah Olatunji

Despite the cancellation of the 2019-20 women’s topflight season in France, Paris FC’s new signing Chiamaka Nnadozie has revealed part of the story of her incredible rise and how she inherited her football passion.

Nnadozie has enjoyed a meteoric rise from the youth level to the senior after she played once for Nigeria at the U17 and U20 Women’s World Cup.

In 2018, she starred for the Falconets as a defender as they reached the quarterfinal at the U20 Women’s World Cup in France where she helped the Super Falcons reach the Women’s World Cup Round of 16 last year.

A year later, the goalkeeper was the heroine as Nigeria claimed the 2019 Wafu Women’s Cup at the expense of hosts Cote d’Ivoire. The same year, she made Nigeria’s squad to the Women’s World Cup in France, where she emerged the youngest goalkeeper to keep a clean-sheet in the tournament.

She crowned it up at the African Games in Morocco where she saved three penalties to help Nigeria win gold – the string of successes that earned her African Women’s Player of the Year nomination.

The former Rivers Angels shot-stopper developed her goalkeeping potentials at the Nigeria Women’s Premier League side, and she opened up on how she tried various positions before settling to be a goalkeeper.

“I was told my father played football. My elder brothers and cousin sisters also play football but not as professionals,” Nnadozie told SavidNews.com.

“I got to trained with my brothers and their friends. One them enrolled me into an Academy in Owerri named Nwudu Football Academy now Heartland Queen FC.

“I started as a right wing-back, then I switch to a striking role. But most times when there’s no space for me to play, my brothers send me in the post to keep for them.

“At the Academy, I was a player until one faithful day when we are playing against Campus Academy also in Owerri, our goalkeeper looked so tired after conceding two goals. I turned to the coach and said – let me replace her, she looks tired already.

“My coach looked at me and laughed with an unserious facial expression, he said ‘we are trailing two goals with a keeper and you want me to play without keeper’. He later agreed and made some fantastic saves into the first five minutes.

After seeing my performance that day, he wanted me to switch to goalkeeping. We were preparing for the National Sports Festival when he approached me and said ‘we have senior and better players than you in the team. There’s no assurance you are going to make the team except as a goalkeeper.’ He promised to teach me the basics of goalkeeping and trained me to be a professional one.

“I starter keeping with bare hands. If they score me in any match or training, he will beat me to make me stay focused. He later bought me my first glove and boot to encouraged me. God bless coach Alex for everything.”

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