'I always had speed and power' - Super Falcons new star out to emulate Man Utd striker & Balotelli

Houston Dash center forward Michelle Alozie was arguably the overall standout player for the Super Falcons in their three games at the 2021 WNT Summer Series this month.

The San Diego, California native, whose parents originally hail from Owerri, Imo State, was recommended to Nigeria manager Randy Waldrum by Houston Dash coach James Clarkson before the friendlies against Jamaica, Portugal and United States.

Waldrum has a connection with Houston Dash, having coached them for three years, 2014-2017.

Alozie has underlined that her main attributes are speed and physicality, and revealed that Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani and ex-Manchester City star Mario Balotelli were the players she looked up to when she was a child.

Speaking to our colleagues EaglesTracker, Alozie said : "I always had speed and power, those are just kind of like the basics of me as a person, as an athlete.

"I really loved watching Mario Balotelli, he was the main reason why I was number 9 growing up, and I just liked how he played, he played with a lot of power, a lot of strength. He didn't really take a lot from people so I thought he was great.

"And I also really liked watching Edinson Cavani too and also a number nine. They were probably the two that I tried to emulate the most."

The 24-year-old Alozie has not been to Nigeria since 2015 and plans to visit the country again hopefully next year.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel