Blessing Ilivieda, the grieving captain of Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) champions Bayelsa Queens, joined the Super Falcons training camp just days after the sudden passing of her husband, Ibrahim.
Her courageous decision to return to the pitch so swiftly is a poignant testament to their shared passion for the game and her unwavering commitment to fulfilling his last hopes for her career.
Just eight days before Ibrahim’s death, she had gloriously captained Bayelsa Queens to their NWFL title.
Speaking about the devastating loss, Ilivieda bravely shared the suddenness of her husband’s passing.
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“He called me that he is not feeling too well and within two days the God that created him just call him,” she recounted, her voice heavy with emotion in an interview with BBC.
Her call-up to the Super Falcons camp during the Cameroon friendly in Ogun state, arrived prior to the tragic news of her husband’s illness.
Ilivieda revealed the immense joy the national team invitation brought him.
“The Super Falcons call up has come before I was called that my husband was sick, he was very happy for the call up because that is what he has been praying for that I will wear green white green,” she explained.
She continued, “And if I don’t come that means I don’t love my husband or appreciate what he has been praying for.”
Driven by this profound sense of purpose, Ilivieda is channeling her grief into her performance.
“What has been keeping me is the promise I made to him that the world will hear my name. I did it for the man that I marry and want good for me,” she added.
