Chiamaka Nnadozie goalkeeping heroic gets CAF awards nod

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie has made the list of nominees for the first-ever CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.

The Paris FC goalie got the nod of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) award committee after a wonderful performance for the club and country in the year under review (2023).

She has proven herself to be a superb penalty saver for the Super Falcons and French D1 Arkema side, Paris FC.

She has saved four penalties for club and country in 2023 coupled with saves that have put her side into the limelight.

At the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. she saved Christine Sinclair’s penalty and her follow-up attempt to help Nigeria force Olympic champions, Canada to a 0-0 draw, a crucial save that helped the nine-time African champions sail to the Round of 16 at Canada’s expense.

At the club level, the former Rivers Angels save hands also played a pivotal role in lifting the Le Parisiens to a historic group stage of the 2023/2024 UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL).

Nnadozie saved two penalties against former UWCL winners and last season’s semi-finalist, Arsenal FC women to seal another qualification to the final round of the Qualifiers where they faced Wolfsburg.

She saved a penalty as the Parisiens secured a 2-0 win to ensure a 5-3 aggregate victory over the former German and Champions League winners.

The goalkeeper will battle it out with nine other goalies from the continent for the 2023 CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Other nominees for the 2023 CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award are Bawou Ange Gabrielle (Cameroon), Dolores Masongo (Equatorial Guinea), Imane Abdelahad (Morocco), Khadiaj Er-rmichi (Morocco), Andile Dlamini (South Africa), Kaylin Swart (South Africa), Najiat Abass Idrisa (Tanzania), Catherine Musonda (Zambia), and Cynthia Shongwe (Zimbabwe).