Nadia Nadim

Nadia Nadim (born 2 January 1988) is an Afghan-Danish football player who plays as a striker for French Division 1 Féminine club Paris Saint-Germain as well as for the Danish national team.

Nadia Nadim

Nadia Nadim in August 2017
Personal information
Full name	Nadia Nadim
Date of birth	2 January 1988[1]
Place of birth	Herat, Afghanistan
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Club information
Current team	Paris Saint-Germain
Number	10
Youth career
	Gug Boldklub
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	B52 Aalborg
2005–2006	Team Viborg
2006–2012	IK Skovbakken	91	(88)
2012–2015	Fortuna Hjørring	43	(31)
2014–2015	Sky Blue FC	24	(13)
2015–2016	→ Fortuna Hjørring (loan)	15	(12)
2016–2017	Portland Thorns FC	37	(19)
2018	Manchester City	15	(6)
2019–	Paris Saint-Germain	27	(18)
National team^‡
2009–	Denmark	97	(38)
Honours Representing  Denmark Runner-up UEFA Women's Championship 2017
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 February 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 27 October 2020

Early life and club career

Nadim was born in Herat[1] and raised in Afghanistan until her father, an Afghan National Army (ANA) general, was executed by the Taliban in 2000.[2] Her family then fled to Denmark, where she began her football career, playing for B52 Aalborg, Team Viborg and IK Skovbakken, before moving to Fortuna Hjørring in 2012.[3] She made her Champions League debut in September the same year, scoring both goals in a 2–1 win over Scottish Champions Glasgow City.[4]

Club career

Nadia Nadim playing for the Portland Thorns FC in 2017

Sky Blue FC

Nadim joined NWSL club Sky Blue FC near the end of the 2014 NWSL season. Playing in 6 games, she scored 7 goals and registered 3 assists. She was named player of the week on 19 August and player of the month for the NWSL on 14 August. On 16 February 2015, Sky Blue announced that Nadim had been signed to play for Sky Blue in the 2015 season as well.[5]

Portland Thorns FC

On 14 January 2016, Nadim was traded to Portland Thorns FC.[6] Playing as a striker, she finished the 2016 season as the team's top scorer with 9 goals in 20 games as the team won the 2016 NWSL Shield. In the 2017 season, she helped the team to a second-place finish in the league[7] and victory in the NWSL Championship game.

Manchester City

On 28 September 2017, Nadim signed for FA Women's Super League side Manchester City for the 2018 season. She joined the club in January 2018,[8] and made her debut with Manchester City on 7 January 2018 in a 5–2 win over Reading. After six minutes on the pitch she scored her first goal for the team, and 26 minutes later she made an assist when Manchester City scored their second goal in the match.[9] In her second match for the team she scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Chelsea in the semifinale of the Continental Tyres Cup.[10]

On 26 July 2018, while on the US tour with Manchester City, the BBC reported that Nadim had requested a transfer out of the club, stating that she had never felt at home there and wanted out.[11] On 19 December 2018 Manchester City announced that Nadim would be departing the club and her contract would be terminated on 1 January 2019, allowing her to sign with another club.[12]

Paris Saint-Germain

On 3 January 2019, Nadim signed for Paris Saint-Germain.[13]

On 9 July 2019, Nadim extended her contract for Paris Saint-Germain.[14] after a successful first season. Nadia was later rewarded with the captain's armband and named the team's vice captain for the 2019–20 season. Nadia has so far this season scored 13 goals and made 13 assists in 16 league and cup games.

Playing style

Nadim is recognized for her energetic and determined style of play.[15] She is successful from the penalty spot, having converted all but one of her penalties in the NWSL (and with the one miss being a block by the goalkeeper and immediately scored by Nadim) and both of her attempts at Euro 2017.[16]

Financials

Nadim is known to be one of the best paid players in the Women's game, but have at several occasions rejected offers that would have made her the absolute best paid player,[17] saying she doesn't play for money and that she will make millions out of her future career as a doctor.

International career

Nadim (left) playing for Denmark in 2017

Under Danish nationality law Nadim could not apply for citizenship until turning 18 years old in 2006. When citizenship was eventually granted in 2008, FIFA eligibility rules blocked Nadim from playing for Denmark, because she had not yet been resident for the requisite five years after turning 18.[18] A subsequent challenge from the Danish Football Association (DBU) led to FIFA's legal department making an exception to the rules in Nadim's case.[19]

Nadim immediately became a member of the Denmark national team, making her debut in the 2009 Algarve Cup in a 0–2 defeat by the United States.[20][21] In doing so, she became the first naturalised Dane to represent a Denmark senior national football team.[22] She participated in all three of Denmark's games at UEFA Women's Euro 2009 in Finland.

She was named in national coach Kenneth Heiner-Møller's Denmark squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013.[23] In Denmark's opening group match against hosts Sweden Nadim featured as a substitute in an eventful 1–1 draw.[24]

In the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 tournament, she was instrumental in Denmark's advancement, scoring the tying goal in Denmark's eventual 2–1 win over favorites Germany in the knockout stages, and scoring a go-ahead goal in the final, which Denmark ultimately lost to host Netherlands 4–2.

International goals

	Key (expand for notes on “international goals” and sorting)
Location	Geographic location of the venue where the competition occurred Sorted by country name first, then by city name
Lineup	Start – played entire match on minute (off player) – substituted on at the minute indicated, and player was substituted off at the same time off minute (on player) – substituted off at the minute indicated, and player was substituted on at the same time (c) – captain Sorted by minutes played
#	NumberOfGoals.goalNumber scored by the player in the match (alternate notation to Goal in match)
Min	The minute in the match the goal was scored. For list that include caps, blank indicates played in the match but did not score a goal.
Assist/pass	The ball was passed by the player, which assisted in scoring the goal. This column depends on the availability and source of this information.
penalty or pk	Goal scored on penalty-kick which was awarded due to foul by opponent. (Goals scored in penalty-shoot-out, at the end of a tied match after extra-time, are not included.)
Score	The match score after the goal was scored. Sorted by goal difference, then by goal scored by the player's team
Result	The final score. Sorted by goal difference in the match, then by goal difference in penalty-shoot-out if it is taken, followed by goal scored by the player's team in the match, then by goal scored in the penalty-shoot-out. For matches with identical final scores, match ending in extra-time without penalty-shoot-out is a tougher match, therefore precede matches that ended in regulation
aet	The score at the end of extra-time; the match was tied at the end of 90' regulation
pso	Penalty-shoot-out score shown in parenthesis; the match was tied at the end of extra-time
	Light-purple background color – exhibition or closed door international friendly match
	Light-yellow background color – match at an invitational tournament
	Pink background color – Continental Games or regional tournament
NOTE on background colors: Continental Games or regional tournament are sometimes also qualifier for World Cup or Olympics; information depends on the source such as the player's federation. NOTE: some keys may not apply for a particular football player

	Date	Location	Opponent	Lineup	#	Min	Score	Result	Competition
1	2009-03-09[m 1]	Silves	Iceland	off 81' (on Madsen)	1.1	36	1–0	2–0	Algarve Cup
2	2010-03-01[m 2]	Albufeira	Finland	on 65' (off Munk)	1.1	80	2–1	2–1	Algarve Cup
3	2012-09-15[m 3]	Vejle	Czech Republic	off 87' (on Troelsgaard)	1.1	55	1–0	1–0	UEFA Championship qualifier
4	2012-06-20[m 4]	St. Pölten	Austria	Start	1.1	92	1–3	1–3	UEFA Championship qualifier
5	2013-06-20[m 5]	Viborg	Iceland	off 45' (on Jensen)	1.1	34	1–0	2–0	Friendly
6	2013-11-24[m 6]	Valletta	Malta	Start	2.1	26	2–0	5–0	Friendly
7					2.2	46	4–0
8	2014-03-20[m 7]	Albufeira	United States	Start	1.1	35	2–0	5–3	Algarve Cup
9	2014-09-13[m 8]	Vejle	Malta	Start	2.1	28	4–0	8–0	World Cup qualifier
10					2.2	67	7–0
11	2015-10-22[m 9]	Viborg	Moldova	Start	2.1	52	3–0	4–0	UEFA Championship qualifier
12					2.2	89	4–0
13	2016-03-02[m 10]	Albufeira	Canada	Start	1.1	55	1–0	1–0	Algarve Cup
14	2016-03-04[m 11]	Albufeira	Iceland	Start	1.1	53	1–2	1–4	Algarve Cup
15	2016-06-02[m 12]	Viborg	Slovakia	on 46' (off Larsen)	2.1	49	2–0	4–0	UEFA Championship qualifier
16					2.2	60	3–0
17	2016-09-15[m 13]	Chișinău	Moldova	Start	2.1	3	1–0	5–0	UEFA Championship qualifier
18					2.2	68	4–0
19	2016-09-20[m 14]	Viborg	Sweden	Start	1.1	47	2–0	2–0	UEFA Championship qualifier
20	2017-07-30[m 15]	Rotterdam	Germany	Start	1.1	49	1–1	2–1	UEFA Championship
21	2017-08-06[m 16]	Enschede	Netherlands	Start	1.1	6	1–0	2–4	UEFA Championship Final
22	2017-09-19[m 17]	Győr	Hungary	off 83' (on Sørensen)	1.1	28	1–0	6–1	World Cup qualifier
23	2018-01-22[m 18]	San Diego	United States	Start	1.1	14	1–0	1–5	Friendly
24	2018-06-08[m 19]	Lviv	Ukraine	off 86' (on Smidt Nielsen)	2.1	6	1–0	5–1	World Cup qualifier
25					2.2	52	3–0
26	2018-06-12[m 20]	Viborg	Hungary	Start	2.1	44	1–1	5–1	World Cup qualifier
27					2.2	45	2–1
28	2018-08-30[m 21]	Viborg	Croatia	Start	1.1	90+2	1–1	1–1	World Cup qualifier
29	2018-10-09[m 22]	Viborg	Netherlands	Start	1.1	5	1–0	1–2	World Cup qualifier play-offs
30	2019-02-27[m 23]	Algarve	Norway	off 87' (on Bruun)	1.1	18	1–0	1–2	Algarve Cup
31	2019-09-03[m 24]	Ramat Gan	Israel	off 82' (on Madsen)	1.1	80	2–0	3–0	UEFA Championship qualifier
32	2019-11-12[m 25]	Viborg	Georgia	off 62' (on Madsen)	3.1	4	1–0	14–0	UEFA Championship qualifier
–					3.2	26[lower-alpha 1]	4–0
33					3.3	36	8–0
34	2020-09-17[m 26]	Zenica	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Start	1.1	37	1–0	4–0	UEFA Championship qualifier
35	2020-09-22[m 27]	Ta' Qali	Malta	off 66' (on Bruun)	2.1	7	2–0	8–0	UEFA Championship qualifier
36					2.2	42	3–0
37	2020-10-27[m 28]	Empoli	Italy	off 72' (on Bruun)	2.1	17	2–0	3–1	UEFA Championship qualifier
38					2.2	47	3–0

1. UEFA recorded the goal for Nadim, meanwhile the DBU recoded it as an own goal by Nino Sutidze.

Honours

International

• UEFA Women's Euro 2017 Runners-up

Club

• 2016 NWSL Shield Winner
• 2017 NWSL Playoffs Winner
• 2017–18 FA WSL Runners-up
• 2018–19 Division 1 Féminine Runners-up
• 2019–20 Division 1 Féminine Runners-up

Individual

• Portland Thorns 2016 Top Goal Scorer

UNESCO Champion for Girls and Women's Education

In July 2019, Nadia Nadim was named UNESCO Champion for Girls and Women's Education. Nadia Nadim received this recognition for her role in promoting sport and gender equality, her contribution to the Organization's educational action prioritizing young people and advocacy for girls and women's education at an international scale, among others.[25][26]

Personal life

In 2017 Nadim was attending medical school at Aarhus University (remotely, during the football season) with the aim of becoming a surgeon when her playing days are over.[27][28] Nadim is Muslim,[29] and speaks eleven languages (Danish, English, Spanish, French, German, Persian, Dari, Urdu, Hindi, Arabic and Latin).[30][17]

Afghan singer Aryana Sayeed is her aunt.[31]

In 2018, Forbes ranked her Number 20 in their "Most Powerful Women in International Sports" list.[32]

References

1. "Nadia Nadim: Veni Vidi Vici » Our Game Magazine". www.ourgamemag.com.
2. Benn, Tansin; Pfister, Gertrud; Jawad, Haifaa. Muslim women and sport. Google Books. p. 67.
3. "Nadia Nadim". UEFA.com. UEFA. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
4. "Women's Champions League: Glasgow City 1–2 Fortuna Hjorring". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 26 September 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
5. "Sky Blue Signs Nadia Nadim for 2015 Season", Archived 11 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 11 March 2015
6. "Thorns FC acquire forward Nadia Nadim, third pick in 2016 NWSL College Draft from Sky Blue FC | Portland Timbers".
7. National Women's Soccer League. "2017 Standings". www.nwslsoccer.com. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
8. "Nadia Nadim: Manchester City Women sign Denmark striker". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 28 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
9. Andersen, Jens (7 January 2018). "Nadim på tavlen i debut for Manchester City". DR.dk. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
10. "Nadia Nadim matchvinder mod Chelsea". Bold.dk. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
11. "Nadia Nadim: Manchester City's Denmark striker hands in transfer request". BBC Sport. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
12. "Nadia Nadim to depart City". 19 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
13. "Nadia Nadim da fuga aos talibãs ao Paris SG". Record (in Portuguese). 4 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
14. "Nadia Nadim extends with Paris SG". Record (in Portuguese). 9 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
15. "Nadia Nadim | An incredible journey..." Manchester City Football Club. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
16. "Top 10 Thorns Stories of 2017". Stumptown Footy. 30 December 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
17. "Nadia Nadim Afviste milioner". TV2 News (in Danish). 29 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
18. "Ligatopscorer bremses af Fifa-regler" (in Danish). Jyllands-Posten. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
19. Johansen, Anders; Wadland, Jacob (15 January 2009). "Nadia Nadim klar til kvindelandsholdet" (in Danish). Danish Football Association. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
20. "Woznuk and DiMartino Score as U.S. Women Defeat Denmark 2–0 to Open 2009 Algarve Cup". U.S.Soccer. 4 March 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
21. "Nadia Nadim – Danish Football Association profile". Danish Football Association official website. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
22. "Nadia Nadim". UEFA.com. UEFA. Archived from the original on 14 July 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
23. Bruun, Peter (21 June 2013). "Upbeat Heiner-Møller confirms Denmark squad". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
24. Dutt, Sujay (11 July 2013). "Petersen's 'crazy' day for Denmark". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
25. "UNESCO education and gender equality".
26. "Nadia Nadim designated UNESCO champion for girls and women's education".
27. "Nadia Nadim" (in Danish). Danish Football Association. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
28. Best, Katelyn (17 April 2017). "Nadia Nadim Fled Afghanistan. Now She's a Portland Thorns Forward and a Medical Student". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
29. "Nadia Nadim Fled Afghanistan. Now She's a Portland Thorns Forward and a Medical Student". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
30. "The Afghan refugee and trainee surgeon who can speak nine languages – and has just signed for Manchester City". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
31. Schönwetter, Paul (29 July 2017). "Nadia Nadim – Dänemarks 'Zlatan'". Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 15 March 2018.
32. Alana Glass (27 March 2018). "The Most Powerful Women In International Sports 2018". Forbes.

Match reports

1. "Danmark – Island 2 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
2. "Danmark – Finland 2 – 1". dbu.dk. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
3. "Danmark – Tjekkiet 1 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
4. "Danmark – Østrig 1 – 3". dbu.dk. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
5. "Danmark – Island 2 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
6. "Danmark – Malta 5 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
7. "Danmark – USA 5 – 3". dbu.dk. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
8. "Danmark – Malta 8 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
9. "Danmark – Moldova 4 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
10. "Danmark – Canada 1 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
11. "Danmark – Island 1 – 4". dbu.dk. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
12. "Danmark – Slovakiet 4 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
13. "Danmark – Moldova 5 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
14. "Danmark – Sverige 2 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
15. "Danmark – Tyskland 2 – 1". dbu.dk. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
16. "Danmark – Holland 2 – 4". dbu.dk. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
17. "Danmark – Ungarn 6 – 1". dbu.dk. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
18. "Danmark – USA 1 – 5". dbu.dk. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
19. "Danmark – Ukraine 5 – 1". dbu.dk. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
20. "Danmark – Ungarn 5 – 1". dbu.dk. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
21. "Danmark – Kroatien 1 – 1". dbu.dk. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
22. "Danmark – Holland 1 – 2". dbu.dk. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
23. "Danmark – Norge 1 – 2". dbu.dk. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
24. "Danmark – Israel 3 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
25. "Danmark – Georgien 14 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
26. "Danmark – Bosnien-Hercegovina 4 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
27. "Danmark – Malta 8 – 0". dbu.dk. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
28. "Danmark – Italien 3 – 1". dbu.dk. Retrieved 27 October 2020.

External links

• Nadia Nadim – UEFA competition record
• Denmark player profile
• Sky Blue FC player profile
• Portland Thorns FC player profile