Flamingos star Oluebube Umejiaku reveals emotional motivation behind World Cup Success

Oluebube Umejiaku with her final awards Credit: FIFA Media

Nigeria U-17 women’s national team star Oluebube Umejiaku has revealed that her determination to succeed in football is driven by a deeply personal ambition: to lift her mother out of hardship and give her a better life.

The 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Golden Ball winner opened up about her difficult upbringing, the struggles her family endured and the emotional burden of watching her mother face insults and humiliation because of their circumstances.

Speaking in an interview with BBC News Pidgin, Umejiaku admitted that growing up in a family with limited financial resources was a major challenge, but insisted she would not let those difficulties derail her football dream.

For the Flamingos forward, giving up is simply not an option, especially when she considers the sacrifices her mother has made and the life she hopes to provide.

“It’s not easy coming out from a family that has nothing. It was a very big challenge for me to make it in life. No matter how, in this football career, I won’t give up. I cannot give up,” she said.

Umejiaku explained that her mother’s experiences remain her strongest motivation, particularly the way she is treated by people around them.

“I can’t give up because of my mother; she has suffered a lot. I need to take her out of where she is. People insult her, talk to her anyhow. Even when I’m there, they talk to her anyhow,” the youngster revealed.

Her ambition, therefore, goes beyond becoming a successful footballer or earning individual recognition. She wants to establish herself in the game so that her mother’s circumstances will change and the disrespect she has endured will become a thing of the past.

The teenager disclosed that she regularly asks God to make her name known, believing that success in football will help her protect her mother from the treatment she has experienced.

She also recalled how her mother has urged her to remain calm whenever people insult her, warning her against reacting in a way that could create problems for her.

“I always talk to God to make people know my name, so they won’t insult my mother anyhow. She tells me not to reply them, to allow them insult her, so they won’t put me in any problem.

“I give God all the glory, and I thank God for life. I pray God gives me the strength, the mind, the ability to go forward in life,” she added.

It offers an emotional insight into the motivation behind one of the tournament’s most outstanding individual performances. While the Golden Ball has brought Umejiaku international recognition, the young forward’s ultimate ambition remains rooted in the desire to change her family’s story.

Umejiaku also credited her mother with playing a significant role in her remarkable performance in Morocco, saying she received regular encouragement throughout Nigeria’s historic campaign.

Having started playing football at the age of seven, the Flamingos star admitted that she never imagined she would one day become the best player at a FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Her mother’s constant calls and words of encouragement, however, helped strengthen her belief, particularly when she was urged to keep scoring goals for the team.

“When I started playing football at seven years old, I didn’t see myself winning the World Cup Golden Ball. When we won the tournament, my mother didn’t let me rest.

“Even during the tournament, she always called me to motivate me to score. Whenever she says, ‘I’ll score,’ I’ll score. So I’m very happy,” she said.

That encouragement appeared to follow Umejiaku throughout a competition in which she consistently delivered whenever Nigeria needed her.

From being a bench player to a starter, the forward was involved in a goal or assist in every match she featured in as the Flamingos became the first African nation to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Although she was not included in the starting line-up for Nigeria’s opening 2-1 defeat to Poland, Umejiaku came off the bench to score the country’s first goal of the tournament.

She subsequently provided an assist in the 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico before finding the net again in Nigeria’s 3-1 win against defending champions Korea DPR.

Her influence continued into the knockout stages. She scored against Mexico in the round of 16 before winning the late penalty converted by captain Azeezat Oduntan to secure a 1-0 quarter-final victory over Venezuela.

Against Brazil in the semi-final, Umejiaku provided the assist for Nigeria’s third goal in a memorable 3-1 triumph that sent the Flamingos into their first-ever final.

She then delivered another decisive moment on the biggest stage, scoring Nigeria’s second goal in the 2-1 victory over Japan to seal the country’s historic world title.

Her consistency, influence, and ability to deliver key contributions throughout the tournament earned her the Golden Ball, recognising her as the competition’s outstanding player.

For Umejiaku, however, the individual honour and the World Cup triumph carry significance beyond football. They represent another step towards fulfilling the promise she has made to herself and her mother.

The Golden Ball may have announced her arrival on the global stage, but the young Nigerian is already looking beyond the applause and recognition. Her biggest victory, by her own account, will be giving her mother the better life she has always dreamt of.