by S. Ghilzai / January 27, 2016
Nadia Nadim is an Afghan-Danish football (soccer) player. Born on January 2nd 1988, Nadim was raised in Kabul during the internal faction fighting of the 1990’s, as well as the Taliban-occupied government. When Nadim’s father was killed by the Taliban in 2000, the entire family fled to Denmark. Upon arriving in Denmark, Nadim started her football career. She played in youth leagues until she made her Champions League debut in 2012. There were some issues regarding Nadim’s citizenship and right to play for a national soccer team – she could not apply for citizenship until she was 18, and then could not play football until having lived in Denmark for five years after her citizenship was accepted. Due to the national football team’s demand for Nadim to play for them, the case was taken to the Danish Football Association, where an exemption was allowed for Nadim, making her the first naturalized Dane to play for a national soccer team. She is a forward, and currently plays for the Portland Thorns FC club.
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