England may have eliminated Nigeria from the World Cup, but some of the team’s players stood out from the tournament. This is the case with Michelle Alozie, the Nigerian-American player who went viral as the game aired.
Her name circulated on social media after a red card incident involving England’s Lauren James. The English player was taken off the field after stepping on Alozie. The foul occurred as both teams were equalizing into 120 minutes, and eventually had to break the tie by engaging in a penalty shootout. Nigeria lost 4-2 to England. After the game concluded, Alozie and James made amends.
life. pic.twitter.com/3572ug62Ba
— michelle alozie (@alozieee) August 8, 2023
abeg, rest.
we are playing on the world’s stage.
this game is one of passion, insurmountable emotions, and moments.
all respect for Lauren James.
— michelle alozie (@alozieee) August 8, 2023
Before joining the Nigerian national team, Alozie pursued her college career, although going professional wasn’t a given from the start. She tore a ligament during her senior year and wasn’t selected for the National Women’s Soccer League College Draft 2019.
“I just knew that, regardless of where I go, as long as I believe in myself, as long as I put in the work to differentiate myself in whatever situation or environment that I’m in, then things will happen,” she told The Equalizer. “Just believe in yourself and just know that your path is your path, and it’s fine for it to look different than other people’s.”
Hard work paid off when it came to soccer. In 2021, Alozie joined the Houston Dash. According to the news outlet, she signed a two-year contract extension in December 2022.
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The 26-year-old may be a professional soccer player, but she still sees it as a passion. That is why she has goals that lie outside of sports. Alozie graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology.
“It was a place where I can get a world renowned education while continuing my passion for soccer,” she told the university.
Alozie works part-time as a cancer research technician at Texas Children’s Hospital. She was hired to assist Dr. Alex Stevens in her pediatric leukemia research lab.
“If I finish here (with the Dash) at noon or 1 p.m., I’ll run over to the lab,” Alozie told ABC13 Eyewitness News about how she balances her schedule. “Thankfully, it’s really close to our facility, so I’ll just run over to the med center and help out with wherever my coworkers left off. I’ll usually go in on weekends, too.”
The California native plans on pursuing a career in medicine in the long term.
“At the end of day, it’s just a passion,” she said of soccer. “I’m fighting for this little girl inside me who has always wanted to play soccer and has always wanted to be an awesome, cool doctor.”
