MANCHESTER: A smile lights up Nadia Nadim’s face at the mention of the description “football’s Malala Yousafzai.” The pair, born in neighboring countries, are linked by their past, with hope and history following torment and tragedy. In 2012, Yousafzai gained world attention when she was shot by the Taliban while traveling on a school bus in Pakistan’s Swat region after the extremist group banned girls’ education. Having recovered, her subsequent campaign for education rights for girls around the world resulted in her being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. Nadim’s story is similarly gritty, gripping and inspiring. After her father, Ramadin, a general in the Afghanistan army, was killed by the Taliban and fears grew over the future in a repressive society, Herat-born Nadim fled with her mother, Hamida, and four sisters, using fake passports to enter Europe. It was a fight for survival. England was their planned destination, but the cargo truck dropped the family in the Danish city of Randers — and so began a life they could never have imagined. A refugee camp in Aalborg provided a temporary home while they claimed asylum. It was there that 12-year-old Nadim began playing football, a sport she would come to love. She learned and excelled, playing for B52 Aalborg, Team Viborg, IK Skovbakken and Fortuna Hjorring, and made her international debut against the US in 2009 after gaining Danish citizenship. Now Nadim is starring for her country as well as Manchester City in the English Women’s Super League. “I love her, such an inspiring young woman,” she said of Yousafzai. “One of the youngest people to win the Nobel Peace Prize — she is someone I look up to. “I haven’t met her yet, but inshallah one day I will get the chance. I follow her education foundation on social media and all she does. I love that she puts education first. “I don’t know if I consider myself as a role model like that, but people say the way I am, and my actions, speak for themselves. “Unfortunately, when you speak about Muslims, it’s always a negative portrayal in the media, with the terrorism. I’m Muslim, I’m proud of it, don’t hide it and want to show that Muslim people, Muslim women are able to do anything. “I feel I have a responsibility and a platform to try to educate, to make other people understand that they are not alone, that there is hope. “Being in a position to inspire younger children, or anyone who has been struggling or having a tough background, to show them that anything is possible, I feel blessed and privileged to be in this position.” Nadim, now 30, feels fate gave her family a second chance. “It was scary, definitely,” she said, recalling the escape from her war-torn homeland. “When we left home, we came to Peshawar in Pakistan. Then we were in Karachi for a bit and then flew from Islamabad. “I do remember, but I don’t want to remember too much. “As a child going through all that stuff, it wasn’t easy. But if you want something, you do what you have to do. I don’t feel sad for myself. That’s life, those things happen. “You are going to be in a bad situation and it’s like how do you handle it? How do you get out of it? My mentality has always been that this is the situation and it’s not going to help me if I cry or feel sorry for myself, so how do I get out of this? “That’s something you have to remember as a human being. You are not always going to get an easy life, there will be tough times. “It was scary, chaotic and I thought we would not make it alive, you know. But God had different plans.” Playing professional football, and simultaneously studying to be a doctor, may not have been the plans Nadim envisaged. Her father, who played hockey for Afghanistan’s national team, had introduced her to football, but she only started playing in Denmark after seeing a girls’ team training on fields next to the camp. “He loved football, loved sports,” she recalled. “But I just think it’s the circumstances. You can call it fate, destiny. God wanted me to be here and I am here today. I seized my chance. I really became obsessed with football when I came to Denmark. I got hooked then, and started watching (the Brazilian) Ronaldo, David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane. “It was like, ‘Oh, look at these guys.’ I loved watching everything they did with a ball. They were magicians. “I used to be out there for hours and hours trying to bend it like Beckham, or trying to do the skill that Zidane did, the (Michael) Laudrup where he was spinning on the ball. At that time there were not that many women players I could look up to and I saw these guys on television more.” Now Nadim has become a hero to emulate, driving the women’s game forward as she tries to help club and country to trophies. Having won the National Women’s Soccer League title with the Portland Thorns in the US, she joined City and helped them finish second in the Super League and reach the Champions League semifinals. Last summer she played a key role as Denmark reached the final of the European Championships, but were beaten 4-2 by hosts Netherlands. “We were so close, but not good enough. We just have to try harder,” she said. “Obviously, I hope we can try to win the World Cup next year. To do that would be insane, a dream. But also to win the Champions League with City would be fantastic. I’m settling well here and feel I still have a lot more to show. “I hope I have been a part of changing the game for women, too. I think that’s the case in Denmark. Ten years ago, no one knew much about the national team and now everyone is following us. It’s amazing.” With an autobiography due out later this month, a movie should surely follow. “It’s been a crazy journey,” she agreed. “I’ve been through a lot, but it’s been my path to get here. God gave me a second chance and I grabbed it. “There’s still a lot for me to achieve, so many goals and not just in football. One day in the future I will go back to Afghanistan and try to give something back. Something in football because it has done so much for me, and taken me to places I would never have dreamed of. “It would be really insane to see some of the kids there and show them what you can achieve and tell them my story.” HIGHLIGHTS Nadim’s best moment ‘The 2017 Euros, probably because no one expected us to get that far. Winning the American Championships with Portland, too, as that was a very hard competition.’ Dream Danish debut ‘It was against the US in 2009 and I had to mark Abby Wambach. At that point she was a world-class striker and I was this young kid coming in. She’s like four times bigger than me and everything. We lost the game, but she did not score, so that was good.’ City admiration ‘I see the men’s team play and it’s a great team. They won the Premier League and deserved it. I love watching football. I love players who are different. Types like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi — the ones who make a difference on the field and have this aura about them. It’s not just about their football skills but their personality.’ Magical Mo Salah ‘Oh, I love that guy. What amazes me about him is he is so humble. No partying, no tattoos. His social media is not about having 400 types of haircuts, but just about football.’ Sport in Afghanistan ‘It makes me proud that Afghanistan is growing in sport again. I know a lot of the women and men in the national football teams, and they are trying to build it up. That’s the kind of progress we need. I think sport is one of the easiest ways to change people’s minds and inspire.’ Afghanistan cricket team ‘They are killing it, yeah. I get tagged on social media once or twice because I love cricket — it’s the Asian in me. But they have been doing awesome. It’s amazing that they are in the World Cup next year. It’s the first steps, and I hope in the future that it is going to get bigger.’ Hobbies ‘I like to relax and watch movies and shows. I love Bollywood.