Manchester City’s women’s team might have the same all-conquering ambitions as their male counterparts, bringing in the best talent from around the world whatever it takes. One of their most recent acquisitions, Nadia Nadim, arrives with an impressive resume but has had possibly the toughest introduction to the sport.
Had she stayed in Afghanistan, the country where she was born, Nadim would probably never been able to discover her true potential.
The main reason being sport was an alien concept in the war-torn country because it was forbidden by the Taliban.
It was only after suffering the horrific ordeal of her father being murdered and fleeing to Denmark that Nadim would begin to develop a love for football.
At just 12 years of age such a life-changing event could have easily left Nadim numb and unsure of what her purpose was in life but she showed tremendous bravery, diving head first into a new culture.
She would soon stumble across her first involvement as part of a team. After watching local side Gug Boldklub train Nadim plucked up the courage to ask about joining in. Not long after she played her first match for them, demonstrating a raw talent from day one by scoring a hat-trick whilst playing in defence.
Seemingly unfazed by that immense psychological trauma back in Afghanistan Nadim continued to impress in her adopted nation, signing her first professional contract with IK Skovbakken at 18.
Keen to embark on a new challenge, Nadim, who had already played in the Champions League with Fortuna Hjorring, then moved to the United States, joining up with New Jersey’s Sky Blue FC.
After hitting the ground running and further showcasing her footballing prowess, scoring an impressive 13 goals in 24 games in her debut season Nadim would later move to Portland Thorns.
She might have been 5,000 miles away from the rest of her family but that didn’t affect her ability to perform on the pitch, as she enjoyed another fairly prolific campaign, with 15 goals in 37 matches.
Playing a key part in helping Portland win the NWSL Shield, Nadim wanted a fresh challenge and admitted it was fairly straightforward when City came calling.
You only have to look at the way she has battled through all the adversity and managed to succeed wherever she has gone to understand just how much of an impact she could have at City.
Players that have had quite settled upbringings can still take a while to adjust when moving to a new league but Nadim adapted to the pace and skill of football in the States from the word go.
That ability to become accustomed to her surroundings straight away was on full view once more, scoring on her City debut the other night.
The Manchester club have also acquired a player that can perform in the big games when the pressure is really on - Nadim scored two goals for Denmark during their run all the way to the Euro 2017 final. This is an attribute that will come in particularly useful for City’s conquest to achieve success in the Champions League, a competition which they have yet to win.
There is every reason to suggest that a player like Nadim, who has faced an eternity of hardship already but come through the other side, could play an integral part in helping City to become a dominant force on the European stage.
