Women's Football
We want to surprise the world, Precious Dede tells FIFA.com
25 Feb 2020

With the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2020 around the corner, FIFA.com features former Nigerian World Cupper and current India U-17 Women's team goalkeeping coach Precious Dede on the official FIFA Website.

‘You can’t be what you can’t see’ has become something of a mantra in women’s football. And amid this ever-growing appreciation of the importance of visible role models, India’s aspiring female goalkeepers find themselves in an enviable position.

After all, in every training session ahead of this year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, these youngsters are being guided by one of their position’s all-time greats. They all know that, when Precious Dede speaks, each word reflects the lessons of a career spent amid the elite.

“The girls know what I’ve done and they look up to me a lot,” Dede told FIFA.com. “I can see them paying really close attention when I work with them, and it helps that I can still step on the pitch and show them how certain things should be done.

“The other day, one of the girls came up to me and asked, ‘Mum - they call me that - can I ever be like you?’ And I told her, ‘No, you won’t be like me – you will be better than me. That is why I am here: to get you to that level.’

To read the full interview, click here.

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