There is unrest and war. It is even worse for the women who are at the mercy of the Taliban's violence and oppression. These events open up the memories of the Danish national player, of Afghan origin, Nadia Nadim to revive her childhood when she had to leave her homeland at the age of 11 because of the Taliban. Especially in this difficult times, she wants to be the voice of many women who are currently going through the same thing that Nadia once had to experience firsthand. That is why her story is inspiring and brings hope, especially to those who have lost it.
Then vs now
Nadia grows up with her parents and her four sisters in Afghanistan. Even as a little girl she knows what football is, but she can´t play it herself. The environment restricts the girls and women that much that they cannot even go out without a male companion. A drastic change occurs when she is 11 year old and turns Nadia's life completely upside down. The Taliban kidnap and murder her father, who is an army general. So the family finds only one way out: to escape!
With forged documents and in a roundabout way, they finally arrive in Denmark. There are sports fields next to the refugee camp in which she initially lives. Full of curiosity, she watches the children practice football until one day she sees a girls' team training. She can't believe her eyes and is so enthusiastic that she asks the coach whether she could play aswell. Very fast she realizes after her acceptance in the team and from the fact that she even played with guys, that she is quite talented. In the first game she is not part of the starting eleven, but is substituted, scores the first goal and makes the template for the second goal. The afghan girl, who has suffered a lot of pain and loss, suddenly discovers her love for football.
Even if life in Denmark was not entirely rosy, she is happy that she was simply allowed to be a child:
“We were safe and didn't hear any rocket strikes. I think my mother wasn't doing well at the time because she didn't know what was going to happen. But we were kids and I thought that was great. "
– Nadia Nadim
The fruits of success
One thing is clear: Nadia wants to be like her soccer idols David Beckham and Ronaldo. She watches a lot of football, trains continuously and starts her football career in the striker position. From B52 Aalborg via Team Viborg and IK Skovbakken to the Danish record champions Fortuna Hjørring, it then goes to the USA to FC Sky Blue and then to Portland Thorns. She also finds herself in the American magazine Forbes and is ranked 20th among the “Most Powerful Women in International Sports”.
Finally, she leaves the USA in 2018 for Manchester City and plays for the French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. With PSG she wins the title in 2020/21. Thus she is considered the most successful Afghan footballer of all time. Today she is back in the States playing for Racing Louisville FC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0dSJeiAKYo
The striker with the number “9” is also successful with the Danish national team. In 2020 Denmark qualifies for the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 after beating Italy 3-1. Nadia scores two goals and is the crowned woman of the Match.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk7ISpvkJ70
Nadia Nadim not only inspires people on the soccer field. The now 33-year-old striker, in addition to her football career, got her medical degree and is a doctor. She speaks nine languages and tries to help, inspire and restore people all around the world. If you haven't had enough of Nadia, you can watch her new documentary film NADIA on the French platform canalplus.com .
