Super Falcons and ALG defender Glory Ogbonna tells TANA AIYEJINA about her Champions League dream, the 2022 WAFCON, her early beginnings and more, in this interview
Congrats on your move to Turkish champions ALG Spor Kulubu. How are you looking forward to the new challenge after joining from Spanish side Santa Teresa?
I feel great to be in the Turkish league and also to be with the champions of Turkish women’s football league, yes.
How would you describe playing in Spain and Turkey? Is there a difference in both countries?
Well, there’s really no difference, talking about the Spanish league and the Turkish league or even the Swedish league, where I also played before. Football is the same worldwide. The bottom line is just for you to go into competition, play and win, score goals and defend goals. Nevertheless, there’s still some kind of differences, like coaching. Every coach have their pattern, so the pattern the coach I was playing under in Sweden is not the same as that of my coach in Spain, as well as in Turkey. Every coach has their pattern of play.
How welcoming were your new teammates in ALG?
My teammates welcomed me so well, they were so happy to see me. They quickly made me feel at home. The players are so amazing; they are so accommodating, so, they made me feel relaxed.
You will be playing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League with ALG this season. How are you looking to your first appearance in the competition?
Playing in Champions League is one of my biggest aims. Believe me, the Champions League is one of the biggest tournaments in global football. So, I’m very happy to play in the Champions League. I can also say that it is the dream of every player to play in major competitions, just like the World Cup and the Champions League.
At the last WAFCON, the Super Falcons’ aim was to claim a 10th title, which didn’t happen. How did you girls feel after crashing out to hosts Morocco in the semis?
Yeah, what we expected wasn’t what we got. We wanted the 10th trophy, we wanted to retain our trophy, but then that is football, some days are like that. Some days you win, some days you lose. So, we’ve learnt from our mistakes. We wanted to retain it but we couldn’t, but that doesn’t mean that we will just relax. We will go back to the drawing board and correct our mistakes, so we can return a better side next time.
Falcons played with nine players against the hosts. How were you girls able to stretch the game to penalties after 120 minutes of holding on?
That was a superb display from us because it’s not easy with nine players against 11, and still hold on till the penalty shoot-out. That was a great performance from us. It was a collective effort, we fought for each other. We showed the spirit of ‘Naija’ in us. We tried to make sure that we covered each other’s backs and to make sure that the two-man deficit didn’t affect us. Football is all about your mindset. And we showed that mindset, that spirit of never-say-die. We fought till the end but couldn’t progress after we lost on penalties.
Were you disappointed that the Falcons could not pick the bronze medal after shockingly losing to Zambia in the third-place game?
We wanted to pick up the bronze medal against Zambia, but like I always say, football is unpredictable. What you expect sometimes is not what you see. We went all out to make sure we got the bronze, but unfortunately, we couldn’t. Nothing we can do about that, it’s all gone now. So, like I said, it’s just for us to keep working hard and make sure we come out a better side, especially now that we are up for the World Cup. We just have to keep working hard, correct our mistakes, so that at the World Cup we will come out best.
What’s your opinion about women’s football in Africa?
Women’s football in Africa is fast developing. Gone are the days you would see one team beating the other 10-0, 20-0,15-0. It’s not like that anymore; every country has developed their women’s football.
Do you think women footballers are treated same way with their male counterparts in terms of welfare and financial packages?
Well, I think women footballers should be treated well, just like the men footballers. The same way you treat the men’s team should also be the same way you treat the female team because you can agree with me that the football we play is the same as that of the men. That’s the more reason we should be treated equally.
How did you start as a footballer?
I started at a tender age. Based on the story my father told me, I liked to kick football when I was a kid. I liked to play, so I continued with that till I was an adult. When I finished from secondary school, I joined an academy in Aba. From there, I joined a club in the Nigerian Premier League Ibom Angels. And from there, I progressed to Edo Queens, though I couldn’t complete the season with the team, before I signed with Swedish side Umea IK. So, that’s how it all started for me. I just love playing football.
Nigerian parents are often against their girl-child going into sports. Did your parents object to you going into football?
If you talk about my parents supporting me, of course I had their full support because my dad is an ex-footballer. I’ve had his full support from time. He’s been my backbone, supporting me in and out, giving me lectures about footballers, telling me how to equip myself in order to improve my game. But sometimes, when I get a knock, my mother will say, ‘she should stop playing.’ But my dad, being a footballer, knows all its takes. He knows a player can get injured, a player can get knocked down but then he keeps encouraging me, pushing me. He’s my backbone, I must tell you. He’s my motivator.
How did you feel on your Falcons debut?
It was a great feeling for me because every player wants to represent their country, so, I was very happy when I made my first appearance with the Falcons. It all started when I got my first call up to the U-20 team back then. When I switched to the senior team, I felt like I had the whole world in my hands. The feeling was amazing, it was so great. I was so happy to play for the Super Falcons. It’s not easy, believe me, every player wants to be there. And I’ll tell you that it’s just grace because there are some players out there who are 100 per cent good to be there but the grace is not there. For me, I’ll say it’s just grace.
