From Seikwa to CAF awards: The inspiring story of Ghana's Evelyn Badu

Seikwa is a small town in the Bono Region's Tain District. Former Black Stars midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu is the town's only well-known player.

At the moment, the people of Seikwa will be overjoyed to see another of their own rise to prominence, especially since it is a female footballer.

Badu received the inaugural awards for Women's Interclub Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year at the CAF Awards on Thursday, July 21, 2022. Since the event, she has been in the news.

Evelyn Badu's meteoric rise to fame, like that of most football players, was not without adversity.

In the space of five years, she has gone from playing football on grassless pitches in Seikwa, being dropped from the U-17 squad, being unused at the U-20 World Cup, to having her name mentioned and celebrated alongside the big names at Africa's biggest football awards gala.

Three things worked wonders for Badu, and she believes they can work for any female footballer on the continent. God, hard work, and determination.

"If I, Evelyn Badu from a village named Seikwa. I've been able to reach this level in my football career then any female footballer can do same. It is all about your hard work, prayer and self-determination. Everyone can make it to this level," she said in an interview with the Ghana Football Association.

Evelyn Badu's desire to reach the pinnacle of football was heightened when she was admitted to Aduman Senior High School, which places a premium on sports.

She was named the best player in a mini-school tournament held in Kumasi in 2017 by a group called Daring Team Ghana.



(Evelyn Badu awarded best player at Daring Team Ghana tournament in 2017)

It was through the competition that she caught the attention of Hasaacas Ladies FC, who signed her.

At the age of 15, she was named in the Black Princesses' squad for the U-20 FIFA Women's World Cup in France in 2018. She did not appear in any of Ghana's three group games.

Ghana finished the tournament with three points, with a win over New Zealand and losses to France and the Netherlands, conceding eight goals.

At her age, perhaps being unused at the U-20 level was a wise decision; at the very least, the exposure was all she needed to be ready for the U-17 World Cup, which was held the same year.

Badu was unexpectedly left out of the Black Maidens squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Uruguay.

As the saying goes, "everything comes at the right time," and for Badu, all she needed was patience, which she had.

Evelyn Badu was then chosen to be a member of the 2019 WAFU team that won bronze at the WAFU tournament.

Mercy Tagoe, the head coach of the Black Queens in 2019, saw what previous national team coaches did not see by inviting Badu to the Black Queens.

The then 16-year-old approaching her 17th birthday scored twice in a friendly against Togo.

“The 16-yo is a star in the making,” Marcy Tagoe said as quoted by nbsportslive after the game.

“She is a star in the making. This is her major and first ever international game and from nowhere entered our first team. It’s a breakthrough for her, she needs to be encouraged, she’s a very good player,” she added.

Badu was determined, patient, and eager to seize any opportunity that presented itself.

She was a rising star in national teams and women's league club football, but Ghanaians knew little about her until the 2021 CAF Women's Champions League.

In 2021, Badu made her biggest breakthrough when she announced herself to Ghana, Africa, and the rest of the world at the Women's Champions League.

She won all of the tournament's prestigious awards, including best player of the group stage, player of the tournament, and top scorer with five goals.

Following her outstanding performance at the competition, she was offered a three-year contract with Norway's Alvaldsnes IL.

On Thursday, July 21, 2022, she was appointed captain of the Black Princess.

Evelyn Badu will lead the team at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica in 2022. She was an unused player four years ago, but now she is leading them to war.

Following his big night at the CAF awards, he is now the first female player to win five debut awards, Interclub Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year, CAF Women's Champions League top scorer, CAF Women's Champions League Player of the tournament, and CAF Women's Champions League Player of the Group Stage.

Also, watch this week's episode of the GhanaWeb Sports Debate in the post below:



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