EXCLUSIVE: Christy Ucheibe insists Nigeria can upstage any opponent
Christy Ucheibe is confident Nigeria can beat any opponent as they aim for Olympic gold at Paris 2024. The midfielder highlights the team's high spirits, thorough preparation, and her personal ambition to help Nigeria achieve glory in the prestigious event.
Image Credits: Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Nigeria midfielder Christy Ucheibe believes the team can pip anyone on their day, and she’s pushing to help the side win Olympic gold in France this summer.
The Super Falcons will make a return to the women's Olympic football at Paris 2024, having failed to qualify for the three previous Games and they are placed in Group C alongside world champions Spain, Japan and Brazil.
As the West Africans begin against the South American giants on Thursday, Ucheibe shared her excitement about helping the nation back to the prestigious event and her ambitious dream of chasing team glory.
"I am so happy to be among the squad going for the Olympics in Paris 2024. I am grateful to God for the opportunity. It has not been easy, but He made it possible. I am happy we got to this point," Ucheibe told SportsBoom.com.
The spirit in the camp is high. We are good to go. I know we are here to compete. Going to the Olympics is so special to me. I will always cherish this moment because so many people dreamt of playing at the Olympics and it never came to pass.
Christy Ucheibe
"I am so happy that I will be playing at the Olympics. The feeling is out of this world. I don't know how to express myself, but one thing I know is I am so happy to be among the squad to play for Nigeria, especially representing the country. My personal goal is to help the team achieve a gold medal and keep pushing to get better."
Nigeria Ready for Any Challenge in Olympic's Glory Hunt
While admitting that group-stage opponents pose a strong challenge to Randy Waldrum's side, the 23-year-old Ucheibe assures her side areready to replicate their 2023 Women's World Cup exploits on French soil.
"The training is good. The preparation is good. The spirit is high. Everyone is ready from the coaches, players, and staff, and everyone in camp is so happy and fighting so hard to prepare better for the Olympics," Ucheibe told SportsBoom.com.
"I know we are going there to compete among the best because the teams playing at the Olympics are the top teams but we are going there to compete. No team is a pushover so we are going there to compete and I know we are going to do more than we did at the last World Cup.
Image Credits: SL Benfica
"For me, I don't think we will have any challenge because everyone in the team from the midfield, goalkeepers, and attack, I don't think we are going to have any challenge. We are just going to keep focus and do the things we love to do.
"Some of the oppositions we are going to face, some of them we have played their players at our club sides and know them. I think it is going to help also. They are tough. We are tough also. Let the challenge begin. We are set and ready."
Ucheibe Recounts Portuguese Title Haul and European Surge
The Nigeria international, who joined SL Benfica from Swedish club, Assi IF in 2020, has been a part of the Portuguese side's domestic dominance, having celebrated ten titles - four Taça da Liga, four Liga BPI, and two Supertaca de Portugal, since arriving in Portugal.
The Nasarawa Amazons product is living her dream, having lifted four trophies with Portuguese giants in the 2023/2024 season, and played a pivotal role in helping Filipa Patao's side to the UEFA Women's Champions League knocking stages for the first time, scoring her first goal.
"Last season was an amazing season for me, my teammates, and SL Benfica as a whole. It was an incredible feeling to help the team achieve what we did last season. I am so happy we did that together," she recounted.
Image Credits: SL Benfica
"I guess we stood by each other no matter what. There were moments when it was so tough, but we stood our ground with love and dedication, and we were able to achieve what we achieved last season.
"I had many great moments, but the best was when I scored my first Champions League goal. I was so happy to have scored my first Champions League goal. I have been dreaming of scoring a Champions League goal. When that moment came, I was overjoyed.
"We stood by each other, and our fans all stood by us when things were not going right. They were always there to cheer us up. I am going to give the credit to the fans because they did an amazing job. I give the credit to them."
How Ucheibe Draws Motivations Amidst Career Struggles
Navigating the challenges and triumphs of a professional career, Ucheibe shares her journey of growth, motivation, and the impact of playing in Europe.
"I am going to say it is tough. It's a mental thing. It is just about getting your mind focused and ready for anything that comes because I know what I am putting myself through. I think I am ready for every challenge on the national team and the club side," she insists.
"There are so many motivations. One thing that keeps me pushing is that I want to play at the top to be able to help myself, my family, and other people. I feel like the moment I stop playing and growing, so many people coming after me are going to suffer.
"I always keep pushing myself and staying focused on everything I do.
Playing in Portugal has helped me a lot. My game has changed significantly. I am more like a professional player. It helped a lot like playing in the Champions League has made a huge impact on my game.
"My family, boyfriend, and Wendie Renard. Those people have done so much. When we played against Lyon in the Champions League, after the game, I went to meet Renard and she was like, 'Christy, keep going, you are doing well, you are a star, don't give up.'
"That motivation helped me to grow. Watching her play in the defense gives me some ideas. My family, and their love, along with the love shown to me by my boyfriend, has helped a lot in my journey."
Calls for Grassroots Development and Investment in Nigeria
Reflecting on the evolving landscape of women's football and the need for grassroots development, Ucheibe stressed the need for investment and player welfare to elevate the women's game in Nigeria.
"The world is changing. Football is changing. People are growing. We still need to do more back home. The facilities need improvement. For me, I think we need to get the grassroots teams back," she appeals.
"We need clubs to have academies for young girls growing up. I think it is going to help because, in Europe, their big teams have U-10, U-13, U-15, and so on. I think when we start doing that in Nigeria, football is going to change a lot because it starts there.
"They need to invest more in women's football in Nigeria. The welfare of players is very important. Teams should start taking responsibility for their players, especially when they are injured. They need to do more. Player welfare is very important in women's football.
"In Nigeria, I think investors focus more on the men than the women.
I want to give credit to Nigeria in this aspect: our women's league is good and strong. We just need people to come and invest," she concluded.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014.