Chiamaka Nnadozie, Michelle Alozie and Desire Oparanozie are down under in Oceania fighting to fly Super Falcons beyond the Second Round at the FIFA Women’s World Cup hosted co – hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
It is interesting that the trio have Ozie as the last four letters of their surname. They have Chi ( Igbo for GOD ) in their other names, hail from Imo State and are based in different continents of the world.
Nnadozie is Chiamaka, Alozie bears Chinwendu while Oparanozie answers Ugochi. The players live in Europe, North America and Asia respectively. The story of three Africans competing for country in Oceania. The Falcons are yet to meet South American opposition in the History of the World Cup.
Chiamaka’s rise is a sweet tale. She took part in a major competition, for the first time, in 2015. Organisers of the Airtel Rising Stars (ARS) Under 17 Tournament, Season Five, picked her as Best Female Goalkeeper. The lass represented Rivers, 2-0 winners over Abuja, in the final decided at the Yaba College of Technology.
She would go ahead to play for the Flamingoes before making it to the Falconets. At the France 2018 FIFA Under 20 Women Championships, Chiamaka was voted Player of the Match in the game with Haiti.
In the next one year, she was in France again for the Women’s World Cup. In the 2-0 defeat of South Korea, Chiamaka, at 19, became the Youngest Goalkeeper to maintain a clean sheet. She also won All Africa Games gold in Morocco in 2019.
Chiamaka is always winning. When Falcons played out a barren draw with Canada in Australia, she saved Christine Sinclair’s penalty kick to emerge Player of the Match. And the goalie was team captain.
She is enjoying the company of her France 2018 Falconets team mates, Rasheedat Ajibade, Christy Ucheibe, Glory Ogbonna and Gift Monday. Her co – keepers then, Onyinye Okeke and Rita Akarekor have been unable to make it to the top.
READ ALSO: Tinubu’s Address: APC Has No Plans To Stimulate Domestic Crude Refining- PDP
Chiamaka toed the path of past male national team goalkeepers, Sam Ibiam, Emma Okala, Best Ogedegbe and Christian Obi who converted from a striking role. She was a left winger until the day her primary school goalie failed to honour a game.
After primary and secondary education in Imo State, Cynthia Chiamaka Nnadozie found her feet in Rivers State where she played for Rivers Angels. From Port Harcourt she flew to Paris FC in the French Division One Feminine.
Her role model while growing up was Desire Oparanozie who also played in France for Guingamp and has a bus stop there in her name. Both are December Girls. Now, one may begin to understand the French attraction. Chiamaka played for Falconets at France 2018, featured for Falcons at France 2019 and plays for Paris FC.
Desire was made Falcons captain in 2019 by Coach Thomas Dennerby. He is American. Nnadozie wears the captain’s band in Australia. He got it from coach Randy Marlon Waldrum, another American.
After standing for players’ right as skipper, Desire fell into the black book of some Glass House officials. She simply demanded that Falcons should earn the same match bonus and allowance as the Super Eagles.
From Bayelsa Queens to Delta Queens, she has played in Turkey, Russia, Germany and now China ( Wuhan Jianghan University ).Desire was a Falconet and won silver at the Germany 2010 Under 20 Championships. Four times, 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2018, the star was African champion with Super Falcons. This is her fourth consecutive World Cup since 2011.
Michelle Alozie’s game is as sweet as Michael Jackson’s hit songs. She plays for American side, Houston Dash of Texas. Waldrum is a Texan. He was coach of Dash. Why he bears the two names of Michael Jackson’s brothers, Randy and Marlon, will make a good story.
Michelle sounds like Michael. Waldrum gave her a chance to prove herself. From a debut against the Reggae Girlz of Jamaica she has become a key part of the Nigerian squad. Jersey number 22 is melting hearts across the globe.
Her fans in Nigeria love the Michael Jackson track ‘ The Girl is Mine’. Some are willing to be diagnosed with pseudo cancer just to receive Michelle’s attention. Oh, she works as a Cancer Research Assistant at the Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston.
Michelle may look soft but beyond the facade is a hard tackling wing back. At Yale University, she played for Bulldogs. That is enough to keep unwanted admirers at bay. After a brief stint at BIIK Kazygurt, Kazakhstan, the peachy one (she was born in Apple Valley, California) returned to America in 2020.
This is her First World Cup. It actually looks like she has been there before. You never know with a Molecular Biologist. Her parents, Godwin and Chioma Alozie, have shown much support by flying to Australia to see their girl excel.
These girls are good on the ball. Oparanozie desires to play her first game yet in Australia. Chiamaka’s scintillating dives are reassuring. Michelle’s lovely runs from the rear yield results. The Falcon frenzy is on.