Glory Ogbonna, a Super Falcons defender and captain of Edo Queens FC, has expressed her delight at joining Umea IK FF in Sweden, saying it had always been her dream and that of her father to ply her trade abroad.
The 22-year-old, who signed for the Swedish Club side last week, recalled how she had been working on the move abroad, saying that she was happy the deal finally came through.
Ogbonna, who will be in Australia with the Super Falcons as part of preparations for the Aisha Buhari invitational tournament, said: “I want to appreciate the Edo Deputy Governor, Shaibu, for his fatherly advice and ensuring that my deal with Umea IK FF was done according to FIFA rules, without cutting corners.
“Despite all odds, the deputy governor and the entire management team of Edo Queens and players stood by me throughout the negotiation period.”
She said her father, also a footballer, was instrumental to her success in the round leather game.
“My parents, particularly my father, have been my greatest supporters in the game of football. He has done everything humanly possible for me to succeed in this sport.
“It has always been his wish that since he couldn’t take his talent in the game to the level he wanted, he would support any of his children who have the flair for the sport,” she said.
Ogbonna said going abroad would enable her to improve her skills and contribute her quota to the development of football in Nigeria, describing the Nigerian professional women’s football league as “the ground to start with for any female footballer in Nigeria.”
She noted that although the female football league was still developing in Nigeria, it had promises of producing some great players for the country.
“As you can see, the league is really producing great talent that can represent the country at any level of football and also produce players abroad; it is a great league I must say,” she said.
Ogbonna said her first invitation to the camp of the Senior female team was in 2014.
She joined the camp of the U20 national team in 2015 and “since then, I have been growing in the game by featuring in no fewer than 18 matches for the Super Falcons,” she said.