Nadia Nadim, Footballer Who Fled Afghanistan as a Kid, Becomes Doctor

Denmark footballer Nadia Nadim currently plays for Paris Saint Germain in France.

File Image: Nadia Nadim

Image: Nadia Nadim/Twitter 

Nadia Nadim, a Danish footballer with 98 international appearances to her name, has become a doctor after 5 years of studying whilst playing football. Nadim, who fled from Afghanistan as a kid, played a crucial role in Paris Saint-Germain lifting the Division 1 title for the first time in their history, scoring 18 goals in 27 games.

“Thanks to everyone who has been supporting me from day 1, and all new friends I made along the road. I could not have done it without you, and I will forever be grateful for your support,” she tweeted on 14 January.

Born in Herat in Afghanistan, she lived there until her father an Afghan National Army (ANA) general, was executed by the Taliban in 2000. After that her family fled to Denmark via Pakistan, where she started her footballing journey playing for B52 Aalborg and Team Viborg.

"We planned to escape to London, where we had a few relatives, and with forged passports we came to Italy through Pakistan," Nadia writes on her website.

"From there, me and my entire family went on a truck, thinking we where heading towards London.

"After a few days, we all turfed of the truck, expecting to see Big Ben. We did not. All we saw was trees. We asked a passer-by and found out that the bus had dropped us in Denmark."

After playing in Denmark for about 7 years, Nadim moved to Manchester City in January 2018 and made her debut with Manchester City on 7 January 2018 in a 5–2 win over Reading.

A year later, she moved to France and joined the Paris Saint Germain side in 2019.

(With Inputs from Indian Express)