'I pack comot for house becos I wan play football' - Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie

Nigeria women national team number one goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie name bin dey for pipo mouth well well for 2023 up till now.

Dis na becos she shine well well for di Fifa Women's World Cup wey happun for Australia and New Zealand for August 2023.

Di former Rivers Angels striker wey convert to goalkeeper for 2012 help Nigeria Super Falcons reach knockout stage for di Women's World Cup.

She also win di Africa Women's Cup of Nations for 2019.

Chiamaka wey dey play for Paris Football Club, France, na di current Africa Best Women's Goalkeeper.

She follow BBC News Pidgin tok about how she start to play football, di support from her family, di striker wey dey worry her well well and how she dey manage pressure for big matches.

Chiamaka say e don tey wey she start to dey play football and she bin dey play am for fun as she bin no believe say she go take am as career.

Days of little beginning

Chiamaka don represent Nigeria for age grade international tournaments like di Under 17 and 20 Women's World Cup.

She start to play di round leather game wen she dey small and na boys wey be her age mate teach her how to play football.

"For our family we plenti, my cousins too plenti and na me be di only young girl, all di oda girls for our family na big big girls. If I say make I go follow dem play dem go pursue me.

So na di small small boys wey be my mate I dey follow play. Evri time dem go carry me go play football, so from dia dem kon teach me how to play.

As I kon dey play I kon reason say I fit use dis tin put food on my table oh, I kon start to take am serious.

God kon help me di year wey I decide to take football serious na di year dem invite me for U-17 national team."

Chiamaka na striker before she switch to goalkeeper for 2012.

'Na di love from Nigerians dey ginger me'

Chiamaka tell BBC News Pidgin say plenti tins dey wey dey ginger her for football. She add say one of dem na di love wey Nigerians dey show her and anytin wey she dey do she dey do am sake of Nigerian fans.

"One of di tins wey dey ginger me well well na di love wey Nigerians dey show me, na di love wey I see from dem na im bring me dis far.

"If no be Nigeria fans I for no dey wia I dey today. Right from Under-17 di love too much and na sake of di fans we dey do all dis tins wey we dey do," she tok.

Even though di Super Falcons number one goalkeeper don represent Nigeria for big tournaments, she neva go Olympics bifor.

And one of her dreams na make Nigeria qualify for di 2024 Olympics Women's Football event afta dem miss out of di 2019 edition.

"I don hear plenti tins about di Olympics, I go dey happy say I go Olympics. I bin dey among di team wey no qualify for 2019 and I want us to qualify to make Nigeria proud." she add.

'My mama na my god'

She tell BBC Pidgin say her papa disturb her well well sake of di football wey she dey play from wen she dey younger.

She no even fit convince am to like football or encourage her but now her family dey proud of her.

“I no convince my papa, na mata of I go do am or I no go do am. At a point im tell me say na either I win am or im go win me for dis house. Thank God for my mama wey bin dey hide give me transport to go play football.

Sometimes I wan go play Jeun-Jeun (na football wey you go travel from your state go anoda state go play).

Sometimes my mama go lie give my papa say she send me go her sister place, all dis na just to allow me go play football.

Na my mama be my small god for dis world, na she be my saviour, for woman to comot mind lie for her husband just to allow me do wetin I love and today all of dem dey happy and proud of me, " she explain.

Di Super Falcons number one say she no know her worth, na her friends dey tell her wetin she be to Nigerians.

She admit say she like am like dat sake of say e dey make her humble.

“E good as I no dey see di hype as Super Falcons number one goalkeeper as anytin, I just dey see life say anytin fit happun and I dey take am step by step.

Anytime I dey come camp, I no dey see myself as Super Falcons number one goalkeeper or I must play, my own na to come, do my best, contribute, anybodi wey di coach put, di pesin go play.

She explain say oda goalkeepers for di team still dey good and get capacity like her.

'Alex Popp na winch'

Di 2019 Caf Women's Best Goalkeeper nominee say even though she no to get plenti challenges like dat for football, evri good footballer get dat one player wey dey disturb dem well well for dia position.

Chiamaka say as a goalkeeper wey she be di striker wey don disturb her life well well na Alex Popp, di German forward wey be two-time German Women's Footballer of di year.

According to her, di first time dem meet na for 2019 Women’s World Cup against Germany and Alex Popp score dat day.

Di second time dem meet na for Uefa Women’s Champions League.

“Di girl na veri dangerous striker so tey sometimes I go look her call her winch, she dey veri fast, sometimes you go look say ball dey far bifor you go know, ball dey your box she don score.

"Di first time I play against her I say dis girl dey worry oh," Chiamaka tok.

She explain as she dey take handle pressure especially for big matches. “If you pack all di problems wey dey around you put for your head e go worry you more sake of say tinkin no dey solve problem.

"I dey dey relaxed, I go carry my speaker play my music, dance away di pressure, because no mata how you struggle for life wetin go be go be.

She say bifor she enta field she dey tok to one of her favourite pipo, as she add say di pesin go always ginger her.

"I dey tok to my family, my mum too bifor I enta field. E dey help me calm down, even though no be evri time I dey do well, but at least I dey try my best," di goalkeeper tok.

'I bin no wan attend di Caf Awards'

Di 23 year old describe dat moment wen Caf announce her as di winner of di Best Women's Goalkeeper for2023.

"Wen Caf announce me as di best Women’s goalkeeper for Africa e shock me o.

I bin no wan attend di ceremony, my coach tell me say what if I go and I no win am wetin I do? I go come back empty handed?

My spirit say make I no gree, make I reason wetin I don do too, but me I no dey see wetin I don do, my friends and family pipo begin tell me wetin I don do, dem start to dey encourage me to attend di ceremony.

As I attend I sitdown near great pipo, I just encourage my sef say I no go sit near great pipo con lose.

So di moment dem announce my name, belle sweet me well well" she tell BBC Pidgin wit smile for her face.

For her evri girl child fit achieve anytin dem wan achieve for life, even wit football.

She encourage young girls make dem no do strong head like her run comot from house o, but make dem explain to dia parents dia dreams and get full support.

Chiamaka Nnadozie profile

Chiamaka Cynthia Nnadozie na Nigeria women national team goalkeeper.

She come from Imo State, south eastern Nigeria. Dem born her on 8 December 2000 for Imo state.

She play for Rivers Angels Football Club from 2016 to 2020 wia she help di club win di 2019 Nigeria Women's Premier League title.

She join Paris Football Club from 2020 till date.

She represent Nigeria for age grade level Under -17 from 2016–2018 bifor she graduate to Under-20 for 2018.

She enta di Super Falcons wen she dey 19 years and she be di number one goalkeeper.

Chiamaka become di youngest goalkeeper wey no concede any goal for di 2019 World Cup for France.

Nnadozie help di Falconets win Gold medal for di 2019 African Games for Morocco wia she save three penalties for di shootout against Cameroon.

For di 2023 World Cup Chiamaka captain Nigeria for di first game against Olympic champions Canada, di match end for goalless draw.

She save three goals including penalty from for di 50th minute. She also win Player of di Match award.

Afta she win di Women's League title for 2016 she aslo win di Nigeria. Women's Federation Cup wit Rivers Angels for three times, 2016, 2017and 2018

She win di African Women's Championship for 2018 and African Games Gold medal for 2019.