‘I didn’t know women’s football existed’: Nigeria’s Joy Omewa on culture, belonging and visibility | OneFootball

Growing up in a lively Nigerian household with two brothers, two sisters, and parents who encouraged curiosity, Joy Omewa’s earliest memories of football are unfiltered, and of unmistakable happiness.

The streets of Osun, in South West Nigeria, doubled as her training ground, and it was here that her older brother influenced her love for the game.

“I started playing because my older brother played for fun”, Omewa told Her Football Hub. “He started playing street football, and I saw him and was like ‘okay, I would really like to know how to do this.”

Her journey to the top wasn’t complete without a few scrapes.

“At first I was playing with my toes and broke some of them, until my older brother told me to use the side of my foot.”

These improvised lessons out in the street provided the foundations that would take her on a journey far beyond anything she could have imagined, as a young girl who believed women’s football barely existed.

Growing up without role models, until they appeared

For many girls growing up in Nigeria at the same time as Joy, opportunities within football were lacking. She grew up watching the men’s Premier League, where she came to idolise Chelsea legend Didier Drogba. Long before she discovered female stars, Drogba inspired many other African children to follow in his footsteps. The Ivorian’s influence was immense, even leading Joy to support Chelsea to this day.

“Growing up I didn’t think there was a female team because when I was watching the Premier League, it was mostly men’s,” she said. “I watched Didier Drogba as a child, I didn’t think it was something I could actually do.”

Her first realisation that women played professionally came when she received a call-up to represent Nigeria’s Under-17 team at age 15. This moment mirrored a wider truth in African football — the talent often exists long before the pathways do.

From there, Joy started to watch women’s football and discovered new role models such as Asisat Oshoala and Desire Oparanozie — whose global impact acted as confirmation that a young Nigerian girl could follow in their footsteps.

Asisat Oshoala’s impact

Currently playing for Al Hilal, Oshoala’s glittering career has seen her become the most decorated African female footballer in history. Having won African women’s footballer of the year an impressive six times, her time in Europe inspired many like Joy to follow her career path.

“She’s an inspiration to so many kids back home because seeing her do what she does, it’s just inspiring. She’s a real mentor,” she said.

After a short period in England, which saw the striker feature for both Liverpool and Arsenal, and win an impressive FA Cup with the latter, the most successful period of her career was still to come.

Oshoala joined Barcelona in 2019, and broke history as the first African woman to score in a Women’s Champions League final.

During her time in Spain, she scored 117 goals, becoming the fourth highest goalscorer in the club’s history. She also won 14 trophies, including two trebles.

Emmanuel Faith, author of the 2023 African Women’s Football Report, describes Oshoala as a ‘beam of light’ whose win of the inaugural BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year Award in 2015, ‘spiked the interest of Africans’.

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Nigeria’s pathway

Joy’s childhood experience reflects a national reality: raw talent, big dreams, but inconsistent pathways. However, despite the structural gaps in Nigeria’s domestic league, global stars continue to emerge.

Faith emphasises the importance of the domestic league, the NWFL: “The NWFL has produced a lot of global superstars. Both Asisat Oshoala and Gift Monday came through Robo Queens, and we can all see their global impact today.”

The league continues to develop players who fit seamlessly into European sides, with his report highlighting stars moving to Juventus and beyond.

“A few years ago, only Oshoala played in the Champions League. In the last three seasons, we’ve had at least five African players featuring consistently,” stated Faith.

This highlights the important of Oshoala and how she paved the way for Joy and many others to follow her in her footsteps through a move to Europe.

Moving to Denmark

Joy Omewa followed the path of the great African players that came before her, and moved to Denmark at just 18 years old. Initially moving to B.93 in the second tier of Danish football, the forward recalled how ‘tough’ the transition was:

“I think the first three months was really tough because the football difference, and a lot of stuff that was new.”

For Joy, one of the hardest cultural shifts was the social aspect — something that varied hugely to back home.

“I feel like it’s kind of hard here to make friends,” she recalls. “I think it’s all of Europe, you can’t just see someone and talk to them. In Nigeria, you could walk past your neighbour two or three times, then you start talking. It’s not like that here, it’s like, your house, my house. No one cares what you’re doing.”

Feeling at home in Scandinavia

Football soon brought comfort for the forward, who notes Denmark is now a ‘home away from home’.

“I feel really comfortable here. I feel that if I leave Denmark, I would come back to visit my friends because part of my life is here.”

To stay connected to her homeland, Joy will often cook jollof rice for her teammates and listen to Afrobeats.

“I can’t really vibe to Danish songs”, she jokes. “I do vibe to some of them, but it’s not the same.”

This contentment has certainly shown on the pitch. Since signing for Fortuna Hjørring at the end of 2021, Joy has scored almost 48 goals in just over 80 appearances.

Last season, she set the A-Liga (Kvindeligaen) alight, bagging 22 goals in 23 matches. By the end of the 2024/25 season, Joy’s contributions helped Fortuna lift the domestic double — winning both the league and the Women’s Cup.

Deservedly, her strong season was recognised with a Player of the Season award. Currently, the forward sits top of the goalscoring charts, closely followed by Danish icon Nadia Nadim.

Debuting for the Super Falcons

Representing her country has always been one of Joy’s biggest dreams, in fact she labelled her first senior call-up as a ‘dream come true’.

After impressive displays in Denmark, alongside periods with the U-17 and U-20 Nigerian squads, her first call-up to the Super Falcons soon arrived. A first international camp was sealed off in the best way possible, as the side qualified for the 2026 WAFCON in Morocco — where they will hope to defend their crown.

“I always told my mom that one day I would play for the national team. When I got the call up, I was really excited about it,” Joy said. “My mom was proud of me and I do most of the things with my mom and my family. So I’m really happy.”

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Looking ahead

Although still early in her career, Joy remains humble, determined, and passionate about improving the accessibility and visibility of the women’s game:

“I want to help others to come and play out of Nigeria, like I did. Take it year by year, and don’t think of five years ahead. I set goals and try to meet them – step by step, whatever comes will come.”

Her story to a rising star within the women’s game reflects something much bigger. It highlights a new era for African women’s football where young girls have players to admire, and no longer have to doubt whether they belong.

Joy is part of that transition, having experienced it herself, but is keen to pave the way for the next generation.

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