Nigeria, Dec. 10 -- Super Falcons forward Uchenna Kanu says her newly released memoir, Football My Escape, was written to give young people-especially girls battling uncertainty, pressure and limited opportunities-the reassurance she never had while growing up in Aba.

In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Kanu said the project was born out of a deep reflection on her childhood struggles, her fears and the long journey that transformed her from a confused teenager hawking on the streets to an elite athlete playing at the highest level of world football.

"I wanted to speak to the little girl I once was."

Kanu explained that the story began as a conversation with herself-an attempt to honour the younger version of her who kept pushing even ...