Flamingos captain Harmony Chidi has revealed that her mother initially opposed her ambition to become a professional footballer and preferred that she got married after the early death of her father.
The 17-year-old, who led Nigeria to a historic victory at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, said her grandmother and foster father were instrumental in keeping her football ambitions alive despite the initial resistance.
Nigeria defeated Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final to become the first African nation to win the tournament.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Pidgin, Chidi explained that her mother initially refused to support her football career after her father died, but her grandmother encouraged her to pursue the sport.
“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 acknowledged the support of her foster father, Prince Chidi, who owns her grassroots team, Imo Strikers, and encouraged her to pursue 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,” she added.
Chidi also spoke about a serious injury that threatened to end her football career and ruled her out of the previous edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
She described the setback as the most challenging period of her career, saying the situation became even harder when friends who had previously supported her abandoned her.
“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, Chidi recovered, returned to football and eventually captained Nigeria to its historic triumph in Morocco.
Despite the achievement, the teenager said she remained determined to reach greater heights. She named Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Raphinha and Nigerian women’s football star Asisat Oshoala as players she admired and hoped 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.