“Many Female Footballers Are Scared to Get Married Because They Fear Losing Their Place in the National Team” - Super Falcons Star Ngozi Okobi

Super Falcons midfielder Ngozi Okobi has opened up about the challenges female footballers face, revealing that some players are reportedly afraid to get married because they fear it could negatively affect their chances of being selected for the national team.

Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Okobi said societal attitudes toward married women and mothers often create unnecessary pressure for female athletes. According to the footballer, some of her colleagues worry that getting married could lead to them being overlooked by national team selectors.

“You see, most of the girls are so scared to get married because they feel by the time they get married, they won’t be called to the national team anymore,” she said.

Okobi explained that some fans still hold the outdated belief that marriage and motherhood automatically make a woman less capable of competing at the highest level.

“Most of the fans out there, they feel when a woman is married, she is old. When a woman gives birth, she is old. She doesn’t have the strength to do whatever she is doing.”

However, the Super Falcons star strongly disagreed with such perceptions, insisting that being a professional footballer does not mean a woman has to choose between her career and building a family.

Reflecting on her own experience with motherhood, Okobi admitted that returning to professional football after giving birth was one of the most difficult challenges she had faced.

The midfielder revealed that she resumed training just five months after childbirth, describing the process of getting back into peak physical condition as extremely demanding.

“I started my training five months postpartum. It was tough,” she recalled.

Okobi explained that she had to work hard to regain her fitness after gaining weight during pregnancy, but she was determined to return to the sport she loved. She credited her husband, family and teammates for providing the support she needed throughout the process.

For Okobi, motherhood did not erase her talent or ability as a footballer. Instead, she said the main challenge was regaining her physical fitness. The footballer also revealed that her son has become one of her biggest sources of motivation, inspiring her to keep pushing herself and pursuing her goals.

“Every day I wake up and look at my son, he motivates me to go do more.”

Her comments have sparked an important conversation about the challenges female athletes face in balancing marriage, motherhood and professional careers.

For many women in sports, the reality is that with the right support system, proper training and opportunities, motherhood and a successful sporting career can coexist.