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  Our focus for today is one of the greatest players in Nigerian football history and undoubtedly the greatest goalkeeper Nigeria’s national women’s football team (Super Falcons) has had.
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Born Precious Uzoaru Dede on January 18, 1980, Dede made her way into the Super Falcons when she was just 20 years old in the year 2000. Reminiscing on her rise to stardom in the Nigerian team, Dede stated:
‘’I was 20 years old and it wasn’t easy then because I was still very young to be in the senior team. The coach I had then gave me lots of motivation and encouragement, and made me believe in myself’’
Her brilliance between the sticks would see her become part of the Nigerian female team that competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In a career that spanned over 15 years, Dede featured in two other Olympics (Athens, 2004 and Beijing, 2008).
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She featured in four FIFA Women’s World Cups for Nigeria (2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015). Recounting on her first World Cup outing, Dede stated:
‘I kept my first World Cup in 2003 and it was a tough set of games. However, my most memorable moment was against the USA in the third game. Even though we lost 5-0, I was the most valuable player in that game. My first World Cup outing wasn’t easy. Playing in front of that big crowd seemed too much to take in. However, after the first experience, I came out very motivated and bold for the next one.’ Dede
At the continental level, Precious won the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations twice with the Super Falcons (2010 and 2014). She featured in four AWCON tournaments (2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014). Dede at the club level featured for Nigerian sides like Delta Queens FC, Ibom Queens, and Norweigan side, Arna-Bjornar. After featuring 99 times for the Super Falcons and establishing herself as the longest-serving player in the team’s history, she called time on her international career in 2016. Dede, after her retirement, has served as the goalkeepers’ trainer for the Super Falcons and the Nigerian national women’s U-20 team before her appointment by India to train goalkeepers for their women’s national U-17 side in 2020. Sources Wikipedia Firstpost Featured Image Source: The Guardian NG
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This article was first published on 13th May 2021

ugo-chinedu

I am a Lion, I love to hit heights that seem impossible so I can motivate others and prove doubters wrong. For me, impossible is nothing. I'm open to learning and I love to read, travel and meet new faces.

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