How my confidence level hit the roof top-Chiamaka Nnadozie
Super falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, has revealed sources of her confidence and goalkeeping prowess.
Nnadozie was a delight to watch and the recently concluded FIFA women world cup in Australia and New Zealand made a number of breath-taking saves that endeared her to the heart of many Nigerians.
The former Rivers Angels safe hand who joined France side Paris FC in 2020, was particularly superb when she stopped Olympic Champions Canada from earning victory over Super Falcons contrary to permutations that the team will crumble in the opener.
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In what could pass for a post-world cup assessment of the team’s performance she credited her self-assuredness in the 2019 World Cup and the recent Women’s World Cup to her experiences playing alongside male players.
In a conversation with Brila FM, she revealed the transformative impact of playing with the boys. She described the challenges of being treated equally on the field, enduring their competitive intensity, and the ruggedness that came with it.
“Playing with the boys, it really helped me. It gave me a lot of confidence, because you know, when you are playing with the boys, they don’t want to know if you are a girl or not. They will hit you so hard, they will go hard on you, so that really helped me,” she said.
Expanding on her journey, Nnadozie expressed gratitude for her goalkeeper trainer, Lateef Yusuf, who played a pivotal role in enhancing her skills and abilities.
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The 22-year-old acknowledged the influence of Yusuf’s rigorous coaching methods, which were rooted in pushing her beyond her limits.
“Again, thanks to my coach, Lateef Yusuf, he is a very nice coach. He is the goalkeeper coach of Shooting Stars, he trains with the men and he is always like ‘I no go pity una , I no go train una like girls o (I won’t show you mercy, I won’t train you like girls). You people have to be strong’ so that really helped me a lot,” she added.