U-17 WWC Golden Ball winner driven by mother’s struggles

Politics Spice Special Features Education Sex & Relationship Interview Columns Opinion Advertise with us U-17 WWC Golden Ball winner driven by mother’s struggles Sports November 12, 2026 2:06 am Oluebube Umejiaku

Golden Ball winner at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, Oluebube Umejiaku, has said her drive to succeed in football comes from her desire to end her mother’s suffering and give her a better life.

The Flamingos forward spoke to BBC News Pidgin about growing up in a family with little financial means and said she would never give up on her career.

“It’s not easy coming out from a family that has nothing. It was a very big challenge for me to make it in life. No matter how, in this football career, I won’t give up. I cannot give up,” Umejiaku said.

She said her mother’s hardship remained her biggest motivation, particularly the way people treat her.

“I can’t give up because of my mother; she has suffered a lot. I need to take her out of where she is. People insult her, talk to her anyhow. Even when I’m there, they talk to her anyhow,” she said.

The forward added that she prays for recognition so that people will stop looking down on her mother.

“I always talk to God to make people know my name, so they won’t insult my mother anyhow. She tells me not to reply them, to allow them insult her, so they won’t put me in any problem.

“I give God all the glory, and I thank God for life. I pray God gives me the strength, the mind, the ability to go forward in life,” she said.

She also credited her mother for encouraging her throughout the tournament in Morocco, where the Flamingos became the first African nation to win the competition.

“When I started playing football at seven years old, I didn’t see myself winning the World Cup Golden Ball. When we won the tournament, my mother didn’t let me rest. Even during the tournament, she always called me to motivate me to score. Whenever she says that I’ll score, I’ll score. So I’m very happy,” she said.

Umejiaku scored or provided an assist in every match she featured in. She did not start the opening 2-1 defeat to Poland but came off the bench to score Nigeria’s first goal of the tournament. She then set up a goal in the 2-0 win over Puerto Rico and scored against defending champions Korea DPR in a 3-1 victory.

In the knockout rounds, she scored against Mexico and won the late penalty that Azeezat Oduntan converted to secure a 1-0 win over Venezuela in the quarter-finals. She assisted Nigeria’s third goal in the 3-1 semi-final win over Brazil, then scored the second goal in the 2-1 victory over Japan in the final. t six months at the club following his January move from Italian side Atalanta.

The number 11 shirt was previously worn by Argentine midfielder Thiago Almada, who completed a switch to River Plate this summer. Lookman is no stranger to the number, having also worn it during his time in Bergamo.

The 28-year-old enjoyed an impressive half-season at Atletico after his arrival, scoring nine goals and providing four assists in 24 appearances across all competitions for the LaLiga side.

Peter, who has been covering sports for PUNCH for close to two years, focuses on combat sports reporting, special features and human angle stories

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