INTERVIEW: I learnt how to score headers from watching Mutiu Adepoju, says Sophia Omidiji

Sophia Omidiji, a football prodigy born to a Nigerian father and American mother, was recently invited to the squad of the Nigeria U-20 female team.

The midfielder who plays for Dutch division one club S.B.V Excelsior is regarded as one of the best young talents in women’s football.

Playing for PSV Eindhoven in the 2015/2016 season, Sophia scored 18 goals in 20 games while in the next season, she netted 15 times in 20 appearances for Gent.

In this interview with TheCable, Sophia talks about her career, family background, and future prospects.

How will it feel to play for Nigeria despite having the options of picking another country?

I might just shed tears of joy and I don’t cry easily but the journey to getting there has been a journey, to say the least. It will be a honour to represent my fatherland. I’m Nigerian but won’t sit here and deny my American side. I was born and raised in the States and came up playing in Las Vegas but my dad is Nigerian and as his only daughter, I have always said that it will mean something special to him to see me represent Nigeria. Every Nigerian in diaspora will tell you that even though we’re abroad, our heart is never too far from Nigeria so it will be a honour to represent Nigeria and sing that national anthem at international level. I had many opportunities to play college football in the States but because I had my mind set on playing international football for Nigeria, I came to Europe so that I can be positioned to have an opportunity and I feel blessed and fortunate to even be considered. God who is cooking the soup, has not left the kitchen. It will be a great and proud moment for me and my family.

How much are you looking forward to playing at the FIFA World Cup?

If you’re a professional football player male or female and your dream isn’t to play at a world cup, then you’re not dreaming big enough. I am relishing the opportunity to play on the biggest stage in world football and contributing my quota to an already amazing team and group of players who have dominated African football for decades, not just the previous legends but the current legends in the making and my goal isn’t just to play at the world cup but to help my nation win it. So, I am immensely looking forward to it because I truly believe that we have the potential to shake the world in France in 2019.

How was the experience while in camp with the U-20s?

For one, it’s always a great experience coming home, I’ve been coming to Lagos every summer since I was a child but never been to Abuja even though my dad has a home there. I have never gone past Lagos and Ogun (Abeokuta) so to come on an invite to the national team and get to experience a part of the country I have never been to was a surreal experience. I got to see that our style of play in Nigeria is very similar to the way we play in the States and the way the game is played in England and I saw that our nation is blessed with hard working people, working behind the scenes.

You have three younger brothers who are also footballers. How does that make you feel?

It’s family first in all we do, we are a close-knit family so I am absolutely proud of them. I have three younger brothers and we all support, encourage and motivate each other because that’s what family does. Lateef Jr is known to anyone who follows football as one of the top young prospects in Europe- when you see the type of calls we get for him you’ll know what I am talking about. Rasheed is one of the best 9-year-olds in the Netherlands. He is the perfect #10- fast, strong, can finish but is very, very technical. Amir, the baby, is something else as well. He’s very confident in himself at such a young age so I am extremely proud of them.

How does it feel to have an endorsement deal with Nike?

I’m proud and happy to be associated with a company with a reputation as big as Nike and it’s a recognition, not just of what they see that I’ve done so far, but also what they see that I can do in the future so I feel truly blessed. There is some stuff in the works for the future with Nike. They are coming to do a few things in Nigeria with me.

What was your experience after you transferred from Gent to SBV Excelsior in June 2017?

Sometimes, you labour for love, I love football and at the time, KAA Gent was the best situation for me even though I lived in the Netherlands and for those familiar with that area, commuting four days a week and games on the weekend from Holland to Belgium is no easy feat but I did it and it was a good chance to learn a different style of play in a different country, learn a different system as only the modern day dogs can chase the modern day rabbits but when the opportunity came to stay in the Netherlands and still play at the highest level, I took it but many didn’t know that I used to drive and sometimes go by train from Holland to Belgium 5 days a week because I wanted to play football. Hard work is something we are taught at home and if you want something bad enough, you’ll do what’s necessary to do it. Coaches and players at Gent were like, ‘child you are crazy’ and I was like ‘no I’m just determined’. A palm nut that wants to become palm oil would have a taste of fire. You labour sometimes for your dreams. Whoever is unwilling to suffer loss cannot experience gains.

How was your childhood in Nevada, Las Vegas?

Growing up in Las Vegas was awesome, I’ve been back every year (off season) since I’ve been playing here. Most of our family and friends are still there and we still have a home there. There are three parts to that question, the growing up in Las Vegas part, the family and friends part and the football part.

Las Vegas is a meeting point for people from all cultures. Las Vegas is where I was shaped as an individual where I learned how to play football and gained my confidence as an individual. Vegas is only a 4 1/2 hours drive to Los Angeles so if you want to go hang out in LA or Arizona, they’re both next door.

In terms of family, that’s what I miss most about Las Vegas, my grandpa and grandma Omidiji, and a lot of our extended family are in Las Vegas. It also has a large Nigerian community where we all know each other, all support each other. We had three Nigerian stores and two Nigerian restaurants and many many Nigerian parties so I definitely miss all my family and friends, people I grew up with, so a part of me is always in Las Vegas.

Football-wise, I enjoyed it because I thrived in the face of those that doubted me. I learned a lot from a lot of great coaches who were encouraging and supportive and were really in the business of teaching and developing. You have some coaches that think coaching is all about holding clipboards and not engaging your players or creating division in your team by not playing the best players. Those type of coaches are a shame to the sport, real coaches judge talent based on how well one trains so I was lucky not to have played for the quacks and they are on every continent. I started off in recreational soccer then moved on to competitive football.

Can you recall your time at the Premier Sports Academy from 2013 to 2015?

I had some great coaches like coach Eyal Dahan who I will say in every interview was the best coach I ever had because his belief in me as a player was unequalled. He would say ‘get the ball to Soph and let her do her thing’ and I thrived while playing for him, scored a lot of goals and played a lot of games and learned what coaching was all about playing for him.

You don’t field players that clearly cannot play as a coach, you field players that will help you win games otherwise how are you developing them if players know that no matter how mediocre they are in training they would play. Coach Eyal always played the best players- no bias or favourites, he respected the game so I respect him for that. When I play at a World Cup, I would say the same. I thank coach Eyal for believing in me and pushing me to get better.

You scored 18 goals in 20 games for PSV Eindhoven in 2015. How was the experience?

That was fun. I’ve always said and will always say- if I play for the right coach, in the right system, I can score against any opposition. It’s always fun to play where a coach has belief in you, I’m fast, technical, strong and a good finisher those are my top four qualities. If a coach can’t do anything with those qualities, then I don’t know what to say. There is no defense that can stop me if I get the ball in the right place.

How does it feel to have both Nigerian and American background?

It’s a blessing. I’m blessed to be American just as I’m both blessed and privileged to be Nigerian as both backgrounds define and shape who I am. You learn grit and determination in the States, learn to be tough, to be okay with being different, not conform and rebel a bit against the norm. My Nigerian background teaches me to respect my elders, respect myself/my body, work hard, know the value of education and regardless of the circumstances. My Nigerian background teaches me that God’s always in control and no condition is permanent and both have taught me to be kind to people, be a positive person but also stand up for myself. It’s a blessing being of both backgrounds.

What’s your favourite Nigerian food?

Pounded yam and egusi and a bottle of Fanta. Nigeria is so blessed with amazing cuisine that I think the world is missing out, so many snacks and finger food in Nigeria; Suya, kokoro, kuli kuli, agbalumo, about 100 types of efo, jollof rice prepared by different people with different tastes but I’m an Abeokuta girl so I love pounded yam, eba, amala. That’s what I grew up on.

You are the record scorer at Sierra Vista High School with 98 goals in four seasons. How proud do you feel?

My proudest moment has to be leading my high school team to the state cup final- which is the first and only time the school has ever been in a state cup final. I remember the quarter-final game, players from the team we were about to play posted some comments online on how they were going to stop me because according to them, they would just overwhelm me with their size and strength that I would be easy to stop.

One of the players on my team showed me their comments and I was infuriated. I was the best player in our division, had taken my team to the playoffs every season and for them to still be talking about my size I found insulting. I scored five goals in 28 minutes against them before my coach subbed me out. We ended up winning 7-2. I hate questions about my size or strength because size has nothing to do with strength and size has nothing to do with ability on the pitch otherwise Lebron would be Messi and Messi would be a nobody. I started football playing against boys who were supposed to be stronger and I dominated them. That was a proud moment for me. My grandma was on the sideline and said ‘iya kekere’ (small woman) is showing them.

Who are your favourite female and male players?

Female is Martha and male is Messi. Double M! But I also look at players like Onome who is one of the most decorated players in Africa and reminds me of Benedict Iroha on how she marshals the defense and her versatility to also play midfield is unrivaled by many players male or female.

How hopeful are you that you will reach the highest height of international football?

Very hopeful. God isn’t done with me yet, not even scratched the surface of my goals and ambition yet. I will continue to work till I reach my destination. I’m very proud of where I am at the age of 20 and looking forward to the future with a lot of zeal and determination. The diligent seldom falls into disrepute so I’ll stay steady, keep working hard and praying. I have no doubt that what is meant to be will be. No one sniffs what he or she won’t eat.

How excited were you to meet Emmanuel Amunike in London?

The 2017 BBC African Footballer of the year award was amazing. I’m actually still in a London state of mind. I had a chance to meet a lot of amazing people, from the two panelists to meeting Nigerian legend and coach Emmanuel Amunike was a dream come true, especially when you have a dad that has a stack load of VHS tapes of games played by the 90s Eagles.

Dad would say forget Mia Hamm, Look at the way Finidi crossed that ball, I’m very good with headers because my pops made me watch Adepoju and challenged me to score a header every two-three games. Coach Amunike was very humble, polite and shared his knowledge and advice because he has played at the highest levels of the game, won the U17 World Cup with Nigeria as a coach in 2013 and 2015, played at Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon. It was a great experience. I am an observer and learner, soaked in a lot of knowledge from being around people that have lived it, are living it, people that can talk football for hours because that’s what they do. Those are people you can learn from if you’re a football player.