Maureen Mmadu
Super Falcons legend, Maureen Mmadu, is Nigeria’s only footballer to have attained the 100-cap mark. The 36-year-old Norway-based player-turned-coach talks about her feat, coaching at Avaldsnes FC, dream move to Europe and more in this interview with ’TANA AIYEJINA
What are you doing at the moment?
I am at home relaxing (laughs). I am the assistant coach of our second team in Norway and the Club Player Developer in Avaldsnes FC.
How has life been as a coach now?
It’s been very good and I have been having fun.
Are you enjoying coaching more than playing football?
Yes, I will say very well but I also play regularly to keep my body fit because I don’t want to add weight. I also have training sessions for young girls every Saturday morning; it’s not just for my team alone but all the girls in the whole of the district where I stay in Norway.
Are you planning to become a coach of any of Nigeria’s national teams in the future?
I don’t know yet but that will be a dream come true. I would like to start from the youth sides, maybe the U-17 or U-19 teams if given a chance.
As captain last season, you helped Avaldsnes to the top division in Norway …
It was a collective effort from the players but I scored the two goals that put us up for the cup. And it was a dream come true lifting the cup as captain. We really worked very hard last season and it paid off. It was very emotional for me and my teammates.
You are the only Nigerian player, who has attained 100 caps. How do you feel achieving this feat?
I am very happy about the achievement.I have to thank God first because without Him I wouldn’t have made it. And I also have to thank the coaches I played under then because without them selecting me as one of the best, it wouldn’t have been possible to achieve such a huge milestone. Coach Paul Hamilton gave me the breakthrough in the women’s national team while Ismaila Mabo was the second coach I played under. The late Jossy Lad, may his soul rest in peace, also played a big role in helping me attain 101 caps for Nigeria.I also thank my family and my fans too for their prayers.
Which year did you reach the 100 caps milestone and what is it like being the only Nigerian player to have attained such heights?
I think it was at the 2007 World Cup in China. I feel blessed and opportuned to have done that, because we have so many talented players in Nigeria and Africa too. So, for me to reach there, I think I have to give God thanks. It took me 14 years to accomplish the task. But I need recognition from my country because it’s not easy reaching that level of football. Nobody has looked my way. In Europe, they honour their players who attain such heights; they recognise them in so many ways. But I am not going to fight them to do that. The day God touches their hearts to remember me; I believe they will give me my due recognition. I keep my fingers crossed and I believe that one day, things will change.
Joseph Yobo needs few caps to join the centenary club as well but he has been excluded from the Super Eagles lately. Do you think he should be recalled to complete the 100 caps?
Yes, he needs to return to the team because when we recognise our heroes, it will encourage the younger ones to do more and give their best to their country. I think if he is fit to play, he should be invited but the decision to field him lies with the coach. The coach wants to pick players he thinks will give him the desired results.
You played in four World Cups and two Olympics, what gave you the strength to last that long?
I think hard work, determination, dedication and staying healthy. Prayers also contributed a lot.
In your days, women football wasn’t popular and parents didn’t allow their girls to play football. How did you overcome all these challenges?
Yes it was like that then; my mum was against me playing football until her death. But because I am a determined person and I found out that I could go places with the game, I didn’t look back. And there was also encouragement from my dad, sister and friends. That was how I made it through.
Did your mum punish you to discourage you from playing?
Yes, she seized my boots sometimes and told me to stop the game. But I would cry and cry and she would release me because she didn’t like to see me in tears.
So, how did you get into your first club?
My first club was Ado Babes of Onitsha. I was picked while in school then and ever since my breakthrough, I have always been selected in the first 11 of any team I played for.
How did you feel when you were first invited to the Falcons?
That was in 1993, when I was playing for Jegede Babes. I remember I was called up after my club’s game against Police Machine of Lagos. My first game was against Sierra Leone in Freetown. I felt, ‘oh my God, my dream has come true.’ I couldn’t believe it. I felt something inside my stomach. I was nervous at the beginning but later I was fine and played very well.
How was the Falcons’ camp like in those days?
Then we trained with our personal jerseys or club jerseys because I remember anytime we were going to camp, clubs would share their jerseys to the players but the present players get Nigerian training kits to train with.
There were stories of lesbianism in camp. How true were such stories?
I can’t confirm anything like that because in our own time it didn’t happen. So, I can’t talk about what I don’t know.
When did your breakthrough to Europe come and was it easy settling down?
I was playing in the Nigerian league and I won the Most Valuable Player award. And this white guy came to me and told me he will help me out; then he called his friend in Norway and they sent me an invitation to try out. That was how I made it. Honestly, my first experience wasn’t nice at all. I couldn’t train for one month coupled with the food and the weather. My first training was under six degrees; it was very cold but I did well in the training after just five minutes of play and the coach told me the team will sign me immediately. I was all tears after training; it was tears of joy. It’s God’s doing.
A lot of players come home to give back to the society. What are you doing to help the society in your own case?
I have done a lot in Anambra State. I give players boots, jerseys and other kits. I have visited the less privileged and motherless babies’ homes in Ozubulu. I have a foundation called Girlscan Foundation, which I operate with my former teammate in Norway, a Canadian. We help young girls to make their dreams come true in football and also give them scholarships in Canada and USA. My friend organises football competitions and invites coaches from the universities in Canada and USA and agents to watch and pick the good ones. But I faced a challenge getting visas for players to travel for competitions this year. I hope things get better next year.
Can you recall your best and worst moments as a footballer?
My best was when we qualified for the 2000 Olympics and also when I lifted the cup last year as my team captain. My worst was when we lost all our games at the 2003 World Cup in America. My mum and dad died when I was on national duty for my country. My mum died in 1998, during the first African Women Championship while my dad died in 2004 while I was playing at the Athens Olympic Games. They were also sad moments for me.
Can you remember your best goal ever?
Yes of course, and I scored it against Morocco during the 2000 AWC. I remember clearly that it was a left-footed shot from outside the 18-yard box. It was a great goal.
Who was your most difficult opponent?
I remember one particular player, who gave me a tough time any time I played against her. She always wanted to outwit me. Her name is Kathrine Pedersen, a midfielder from Denmark but playing in Norway.
In your time, the Falcons were invincible in Africa but but the team no longer asserts such supremacy. What went wrong?
Every country has grown in terms of women football; no country is a pushover now. So it will take hard work and good planning for us (Falcons) to make it to the top again.
What made the Falcons invincible in Africa during your era?
I think we were dedicated and determined during our time; we worked very hard and pushed ourselves hard both in training and in games.
Do you think women footballers are treated equally like their men counterparts?
They are not. There are no sponsors for the girls and there is no encouragement for them in Nigeria.
Do you have any regrets after playing for Nigeria?
I don’t have much regrets apart from the issue of the failure of my country to recognise me after I played 101 times for Nigeria. I am very happy playing and I thank God for that because it’s an honour to put on your country’s colours. And playing over a hundred times for Nigeria is no mean feat. The four AWC cups I won, the good memories in the team, the games I played, the experience I had, playing with and against the best players makes me happy. So I am blessed.
0 comments:
Post a Comment