Flamingos captain, Harmony Chidi, has revealed that her mother wanted her to get married rather than pursue a career in football following the early death of her father.
The 17-year-old disclosed that her grandmother stood by her and encouraged her to follow her football dream despite her mother’s opposition.
Naija News reports that Chidi, who recently led Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team to a historic FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup triumph in Morocco, shared her experience during an interview with BBC Pidgin.
According to the teenager, her grandmother played a major role in ensuring that she did not give up on football, although she has since passed away.
She said, “When I started football, my mother didn’t want me to play. My father died early, so my mother wanted me to get married. It was my grandmother who stood by me and pushed me to play football. Unfortunately, my grandmother is late.”
The Bayelsa Queens striker also credited her foster father, Prince Chidi, for helping her overcome the challenges and giving her the support she needed to pursue her ambition.
Prince Chidi, who owns her grassroots team, Imo Strikers, reportedly encouraged her to remain focused on her career.
Chidi said, “It wasn’t easy until I met my foster father, Prince Chidi. He is the owner of my grassroots team, Imo Strikers, and he encourages me, making sure that I achieve my dream.”
The young footballer also recalled how a serious injury almost ended her career and prevented her from representing Nigeria at the previous edition of the U-17 Women’s World Cup.
She described the experience as the most difficult moment of her football journey, revealing that some of her friends abandoned her while she was struggling to recover.
“There is nothing that has been more difficult than my injury. It is an injury that has killed the dream of many players in Nigeria. All my friends deserted me and it was tough. I even thought of an alternative plan,” she said.
However, Chidi eventually recovered from the injury and returned to football, going on to captain Nigeria to its first-ever title in the competition.
The Flamingos defeated Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final in Morocco to make history as the first African country to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Despite achieving the milestone, Chidi said she wants to reach greater heights in her career.
She named Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Raphinha and Nigerian women’s football star Asisat Oshoala as players she admires and hopes to surpass.
“I have like five players that I want to be like: Victor Osimhen, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Raphinha and Asisat Oshoala. I want to be greater than them,” she said.
