The long wait is over.
It's been 16 years since the Nigerian women's football team last qualified for the Olympics but now the team is back, with Racing Louisville FC's Uchenna Kanu playing for her country.
“Nija blood from all over the world. We know we're here for one goal, we know we're here to represent our country. We bring different cultures, we bring different things on and off the field and we bring it all together to make one big team. … First of all, I think it's really important as players to be grateful for this opportunity,” Kanu said.
“I believe my team is capable of winning not just in Africa but all over the world. So I'm very proud of my team and my teammates and I'm really happy to be part of the team that broke the 16-year slump.”
Nigeria, which has secured one of the two remaining Olympic soccer spots, is scheduled to face Brazil in a Group C match at Bordeaux Stadium on July 25, with the gold medal game scheduled for August 10. Other teams in Group C include Spain and Japan.
The 26-year-old Kanu has extensive experience on the international stage. Kanu played at the FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup in 2014 and the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup in 2014. She made her senior debut for the national team in 2019 and most recently competed at the 2023 World Cup.
Kanu has played in four professional football leagues across three continents.
“Follow your dreams”
Her football journey hasn't been easy and it can be lonely at times, but her love for the game has kept her going.
Kanu played soccer as a child, but not everyone in her family supported her dream of becoming a professional soccer player.
“My dad wasn't 100% supportive of me playing football. I wasn't going to give up on football. I wanted to make sure I proved to my dad that I was chasing my dream,” Kanu said.
“I think it's kind of typical that African and Nigerian parents tend to be strict with their children, especially women, for doing what they perceive as men's work,” Kanu said. “It's the same sort of mindset that most people have that if you're into sports you're not going to get married or have kids. It's always been that traditional mindset.”
Kanu's mother has always supported her dream of playing soccer, and without her support, she says, soccer would have been too difficult and she wouldn't be playing today.
Kanu was 12 or 13 when his father died, dropped out of school and began helping his mother sell goods in the market to support the family.
Kanu still found time to go out onto the field to play football with the boys.
Coming to America
As 2015 approached, Kanu received a letter from Southeastern University offering her a scholarship to play soccer. Unable to believe someone would pay for her to attend, Kanu thought it was a scam.
She ignored the messages throughout 2015, but began responding in 2016, saying, “If they ask me for money, I'm running away.”
Southeastern University arranged for his plane ticket and visa to the U.S. To qualify, Kanu had to attend middle school and take a specific test equivalent to a GED.
Transitioning to a school in the United States was harder than Kanu expected, as he was unfamiliar with the technology-heavy classes, school schedules, soccer practice and the challenges of living away from his family for the first time.
“I thought about going back home, but what would that gain me,” Kanu said. “I just stayed and persevered. I'm proud of myself for not giving up and being here now.”
As a junior, Kanu broke the NAIA single-season records for goals (57) and points (132).
Kanu was named Sun Conference and United Soccer Coaches NAIA Player of the Year. That summer, she played for the Nigerian national team at the 2019 World Cup.
All the World's a Stage
Kanu played in Spain, Sweden and Mexico before signing with Racing in 2023.
In her final year in Sweden, she scored 14 goals in 20 games, finishing second in the Damalsvenskan league's scoring list.
At the end of the season, she changed her uniform number to 29 in memory of her father, who passed away on September 29, 2009.
Kanu played one year for Mexico's Tigres UANL, scoring 20 goals in 30 appearances and helping the team win the Torneo Apertura trophy in Liga MX Femenil.
“(Kanu's) charisma, his personality, his locker room, he's really been embraced by the entire Mexican nation, not just the team, but society and the fans in general,” said Carmelina Moscato, a former Tigres assistant coach who is now an assistant at Racing Louisville.
“On the pitch she's a very dynamic winger, meaning she can play on either flank, whether it's seven or 11. She's an absolute threat with her dribbles on either side of the winger and she's deadly at the back post with her crosses and receives, so she has outstanding skills but overall she's just a very talented and hard-working player.”
Kanu's only goal in 2023 came in a Challenge Cup match against Chicago Red Stars.
She has four goals in nine games so far this season.
Kanu is looking to continue to improve his game in what he calls the toughest league in the world, and he also hopes his mother will come to the U.S. to watch him play.
“When I graduated from college, I applied for a visa so that my daughter could attend my graduation, but she was denied a visa to come to the United States. It was really sad, but I hope that next time I try I will be able to get a visa for both my daughter and myself,” Kanu said.
Sports writer Prince James Story can be reached at pstory@gannett.com or follow @PrinceJStory on X.
