After World Cup breakthrough, Nigeria U-17 captain Harmony Chidi reveals mother wanted her married instead of playing football

Nigeria's U-17 women's team captain, Harmony Chidi, has revealed that her mother opposed her decision to pursue a football career and wanted her to get married instead. Harmony Chidi revealed that her mother opposed her football career and wanted her to get married instead.

The Nigeria U-17 captain credited Prince Chidi, owner of Imo Strikers, with supporting her football dreams after her grandmother's death. Chidi recalled how a career-threatening injury in 2025 left her friends abandoning her and made her consider a plan B.

Chidi made the revelation in an interview with the BBC, where she spoke about the challenges she faced while pursuing her football dreams, including the loss of her grandmother, who was her biggest source of support. According to the young footballer, her father died when she was young, leaving her and her sibling in the care of their mother.

However, her grandmother encouraged her passion for football until her death, after which she struggled to find support at home. "When I started football, my mother didn't let me play.

We were only two children and my dad died early, but my grandmother encouraged me. Unfortunately, she passed on and I was left with just my mum.

When I started, it was difficult before I met someone who is now a father to me, Prince Chidi, who owns Imo Strikers grassroots team,"she stated. Chidi, however, found a father figure in Prince Chidi, the owner of her grassroots club, Imo Strikers.

She credited him with encouraging her to pursue her ambitions and promised to do whatever it takes to achieve her dreams. Reflecting on the most difficult part of her football journey, the U-17 captain identified injuries as one of her biggest challenges.

She recalled a particularly difficult experience in 2025, when an injury left her feeling abandoned by friends and people close to her. "Injury is very hard for me.

As a footballer who wants to go far in life, having an injury at my peak last year, I've seen how it can kill many people in Nigeria. All my friends left me and no one wanted to relate with me any longer."