Farida Salem is a name that we all need to remember. She’s not Mohamed Abo Trieka or Mohamed Salah, but the 22 year-old Egyptian is doing something very important for the Egypt’s favourite national pastime, football – championing the women’s game.
As one of the most talented young female footballers in the country, Farida has big plans – plans that she revealed to Cairo Gossip’s Mahmoud Hussein in a fascinating interview that saw the two touch on the Ronaldo vs. Messi saga, the Cairo derby, her aspirations as a writer and more.
How long have you been pursuing football?
I’ve been playing for about ten years, but it was never easy. I could never find any girls to play with, so I just played with the boys till I reached 16 – it was a prime time for me to grow as an athlete. I became the best player I could, so I’d be able to compete with the boys. I tried other sports – squash, tennis, gymnastics, handball, basketball – but football is the game I fell in love with and I figured ist could be a potential career.
Speaking of the opposite sex – and please don’t hit me when I ask you this – isn’t football a “man’s sport?”
That’s what everybody has been telling me. I have two brothers that I always played with so I was never a stranger to the game. When I played with my friends at school, they were always mocking me and telling me “you’re a girl, you can’t play.” After I insisted, they would then try to teach ‘the girl’ how to play football. I always treated it as something fun to do during recess and even during my free time with my brothers, dad and uncles. I just did it.
What were/are some of the obstacles you faced?
Initially, the obstacles were mostly physical. When I competed with boys, they were a lot faster and stronger and I struggled with it when I was younger. I still struggle with it up to this day, but it made me strive to be a better player, so I have no regrets about that.
As soon as I started playing with girls I found less need to worry about my physical form so much. My training wasn’t as intense as before and I started focusing on my talent and the technical side of my game. Unfortunately, I’m still vulnerable to injuries, though!
Yeah, me too – I pulled a muscle sitting down earlier. Anyway, which footballers do you enjoy watching or try to learn from?
Honestly, if we’re talking about the men’s game, my role model is Cristiano Ronaldo…And yes, I don’t care if anyone thinks it’s a cliché answer – I think he’s amazing. I truly respect Messi, we even share the same birthday, but it’s still Ronaldo.
When it comes to the women’s game, I’m really inspired by all the female players from the USA national team in the last women’s World Cup and the players in the American league. They push me forward. Their jobs are to play football and it’s my dream to become a professional football player just like them – especially Alex Morgan; she’s another person that I look up to. They’re taken seriously as athletes and making a living out of it. I hope that one day people will take me seriously as well.
Speaking of the Women’s World Cup, what did you think of the level of quality?
I remember watching the world cup before it, the one in 2011, and making a comment about the quality of goalkeeping and defending – goals were very easily scored. If you compared it to the men’s game, it’s the other way around – defending is as important as scoring goals. But after watching the last world cup, it has definitely improved.
I saw everyone stepping up their game to a level that I’d never seen before. The most vivid memory that I have is the US team captain, Carli Lloyd, scoring a goal from the halfway line in the final match. The goalkeepers have improved, too – German goalkeeper, Nadine Angerer, won the player of the year. So, it’s definitely improving overall.
Do you see Egypt reaching a level where we can qualify for the women’s World Cup anytime soon?
I’m very optimistic about it – but then I always try to look on the positive side. We have a very good team in Egypt, but we need more diverse players. We need more resources and more media attention. If people are willing to give us the spotlight, we’ll rise as a team and as a nation.