Flamingos captain Harmony Chidi has revealed how her mother initially opposed her football ambition and wanted her to get married following the early death of her father.
The 17-year-old, who led Nigeria to a historic triumph at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, said her grandmother and foster father played crucial roles in keeping her dream alive.
The Flamingos defeated Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final to become the first African country to win the tournament.
Recounting her struggles in an interview with BBC Pidgin, Chidi said her mother was against her decision to pursue football after the family lost her father.
“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,” she said.
The Bayelsa Queens striker also credited her foster father, Prince Chidi, who owns her grassroots team, Imo Strikers, with supporting her career and ensuring she remained focused on her ambition.
“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.”
But her journey to becoming a world champion was almost cut short by a career-threatening injury that ruled her out of the previous edition of the U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Chidi described the setback as the toughest period of her career, revealing that some of her friends abandoned her while she battled 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 recounted.
However, the teenager fought her way back to fitness and eventually captained Nigeria to its historic world title in Morocco.
With the U-17 crown secured, Chidi is already dreaming of conquering the world stage, naming five football superstars she hopes to emulate and 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.
Her impressive performance at the tournament has also earned her a share of the Federal Government’s reward for the victorious team.
President Bola Tinubu, through First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, announced a ₦100m Federal Government savings bond for each player during a reception at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday.
The reward is to be preserved for the players’ future, while head coach Akeem Busari received ₦100m in cash and members of the technical crew were allocated ₦50m each.
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