Uchenna Kanu parents raised two girls in Nigeria, and the two sisters have taken different routes in their lives. If Uchenna has become a household name in women’s soccer, then her sister, Chioma, is a fashionista.
In 2019, the Nigerian forward, a student at the time at Southeastern University, became the college’s highest goalscorer with 149 goals in her bag.
Since then, she has played for several clubs internationally, including Spanish side Sevilla and Swedish team Linkopings FC. Currently, Kanu plays for Racing Louisville FC, a team based in Louisville, Kentucky.
With teammates Ashleigh Plumptre and Asisat Oshoala, Uchenna and Nigeria have reached the next stage of the World Cup tournament. Many had written them off, but the Nigerian women showed they weren’t here for a short time.
After stunning the host, Australia, with a 3-2 victory and earning draws against Ireland and Canada, Nigeria will now face England in the round of 16.
Uchenna Kanu Parents
Uchenna Kanu’s parents raised their daughter in Abia, Nigeria. Previously, Kanu has talked in great detail about her mom.
The Nigerian forward is known among her teammates to be the best cook, and her mom can certainly take credit for it. Uchenna grew up watching her mom cook Nigerian foods such as Jollof, plantains, and fufu.
In an interview with The Athletic, Uchenna said when she gets free time from training, she calls home and tries to create as much time as possible to learn what they are all up to.
Talking further about her mom, Kanu called her mom, her biggest supporter as well as her funniest critic. Those who do not watch soccer regularly probably share the same mentality as the forward’s mom.
In one instance, Uchenna’s mom asked her how the game went, and the striker said it went fine, but she didn’t score any goals. And soon after hearing Kanu’s explanation, her mom questioned why didn’t she score, as it was her job to do so.
But during her interview, Uchenna didn’t talk about only fun instances. But something serious cropped up as well, and one that will probably resonate with kids and adults who do not come from a country with passport privilege.
Kanu said she had tried multiple times to call her mom to the US and even wrote a letter to the US embassy to allow her mom to enter the country to watch her graduate. But Kanu’s mom was denied the visa.
The forward’s family won’t be there to watch her play in the World Cup but will cheer her on from the comfort of their homes.
Uchenna Kanu Girlfriend, Lidia Gomez
Uchenna Kanu and her girlfriend, Lidia Gomez, went public with their romance in 2021.
On October 8, 2021, Uchenna shared a picture of Lidia with a sweet caption on her birthday. Kanu captioned the post, “I am thankful that you came into the world, and I am even more thankful that you came to my own world.”
She continued, “You deserve all the good things in life and more. Thank you for always loving me and supporting me!”
A couple of weeks later Lidia traveled to Sweden to surprise her girlfriend. At the time, Uchenna was playing for the Swedish side Linkopings FC.
The cute couple shared the same picture on the sidelines embracing each other as Lidia captioned the post, “In Sweden, Spain or wherever. I will always be by your side. Counting down the days to see you again.”
Earlier this year, on Kanu’s 26th birthday, Lidia shared a short compilation video of their best memories. Like Uchenna’s family, Lidia also hasn’t traveled Down Under and will be cheering for Kanu from her home.
