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I would have been a dancer like Kaffy if not for football – Monday Gift

Congratulations on your performance against Mali in the Aisha Buhari Cup in Lagos, how does it feel for you?

It’s really fine, it’s really great happy to score two goals, really happy.

Coming from the bench, what was going through your mind, especially with the team yet to score a goal and people were looking forward to you especially coming from Lagos, would you say there was any pressure?

While I was on the bench, I was hav- ing some hope and bel i e f that the Super F a l – cons would still get a goal, and I wasn’t losing that hope.

Scoring two goals in front of Lagos fans as a player of top women club in Lagos, Robo FC, also with a former Robo star, Asisat Oshoala, getting the assists, what was it like for you?

About that I’d just say it’s the understanding that we need in the team, it really worked out fine for us in the game and I am happy it gave us the victory.

The coach actually said you were the game changer and you did the same thing in Texas. For your coach to have such confidence in you, what does that tell you especially as a home-based player?

It tells me that I’m important in the team, that I have great potential and I know that there’s greater future for me. I am not going to allow that to get into my head as I need to continue to work hard to merit my place in the team. There are so many stars in the team and I will continue to help the team to success.

You played for Robo FC in Lagos, your team got to the final of the AITEO Cup, you lost the game against Bayelsa Queens, how does it feel for you losing that game in Benin?

Nobody loves losing but when it comes you embrace it the way it comes, we just work towards achieving better results next time. I wasn’t happy about the result but I’m still grateful because we know how many teams started the competition and for us to get to the final, it was a good one for us as a team. However, losing in the final was a difficult one, but we will continue to work harder so as to get the needed result next time.

It was like back-to-back loss for you guys, you failed to play on the continent during the Super Six in Ijebu Ode and this happened again, how do you plan to move forward?

We just go back to the drawing board, make some corrections and look forward to achieving bigger dreams. We have a very young team and the players are really working hard to achieve greater height. It is always about the team and not just an individual.

As a student and also a footballer at the moment, how have you been coping with the stress?

I am currently a student of Yabatech, studying Business Administration and in ND 3 because I decided to go for parttime studies due to my career as a footballer. Combining education and football hasn’t been easy but we keep pushing, that’s what we do. I have to give it my all to be a better person in my career as a footballer and also as a student. I don’t have to allow one to affect the other. So that’s what I have been doing, working so hard to balance the two.

Why Business Administration and not something related to sports?

I’m into sports already, so I don’t think I need to go into sports again, there are other things I can do. Sports is not going to be forever, so I need to do something such that when I am through with my football career, I will have something else to fall back on, that’s just it for me. I love Business Administration the same way I love football.

What has been your parent’s reaction to your choice of career, especially playing football?

I will say the old belief that women don’t play football is now a thing of the past; let me say to the older women, ladies now want a better future and I want to beseech our parents to allow females that want to play football and should that they should be encouraged because you don’t know where the glory of such a girl-child lies.

What are you telling girls out there about sports, especially choosing football as a career?

In sports there are bigger dreams to be achieved if you like. In sports you can get to the top and become whatever you want to be. With football, you can get to any height you want to achieve because football opens doors. Sports help you to associate with people, get to meet top individuals around the world; you just need to be a good ambassador of your family and your country. As long as you are talented and hardworking, surely you will get to the height you are looking forward to.

You are facing South Africa next, what should be the expectation from the team?

As usual, a win, always winning. The target is for us to win all our matches and lift the trophy. Obviously, it is not going to be easy especially with what Mali played against us during the week, but we have resolved among ourselves to continue to work harder especially with the World Cup qualifiers later in the year against Ghana.

How do you differentiate people that want to be with you and people that want you because of what they want to gain?

There are a lot of people that want to associate with success even if they don’t mean well but you as a person know what you want, just be focused and don’t let people distract you because real people are not many. There are just few people who want to be around you to make you grow while there are many people that want to be with you because of what you are achieving, you just have to be focused and not get moved by things you don’t really understand.

The dream of every player will be to travel abroad to continue their professional career as a footballer, what is still keeping Monday Gift and how soon do we see you out of this country?

I’m waiting for my own right time, greater opportunity, a good club to come looking for me. I just need a good club because I don’t have to go because everyone is talking about it. I want a greater team that really cares for my football and really wants me to move forward.

If you have not been a footballer what would you have done?

I love dancing. Anytime I have the opportunity, I love to dance and that has been my hubby since, so if I am not a footballer, maybe I will go for professional dancing.

What would you say about dance, with people like Kaffy turning it into full time business?

I met her (Kaffy) recently at our hotel and I was so happy I didn’t even know what to say. I was so pleased to see her, I walked up to her to take a picture with her as I have always looked at her from far off in the past. Dance is good, especially if you know how to dance.

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