by Salamatu Abdulai topped the scoring chart in the Assikura Women’s League this season with Swieqi United. Having arrived at the club at the latter end of last season and had a first taste of silverware, the Ghanaian marched into her first full season with the club this year with plenty of motivation.
Throughout the year, Abdulai scored 23 goals in the Assikura Women’s League to contribute to Swieqi United’s second place finish. The eighteen-year-old also formed part of the U19 team who won the Assikura Women’s Youth League, scoring 14 goals along the way. The performances at club level earned her a call-up with Ghana’s Women’s U20 National Team, where she contributed to earn qualification to the upcoming FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup, to be held in Colombia later this year.
Performances throughout the season earned her MFPA and MFA Player of the Month awards. Abdulai is also nominated as one of the best forwards in the Malta Football Player’s Association Awards, to be held on the 5th May.
The Sporting Fan caught up with Salamatu Abdulai to discuss adapting to Malta, growing into the team and achieving such strong performances with club and country.
Eleanor Saliba (ES): What or who inspired you to start playing football and how did that lead into coming to Malta to play with Swieqi United?
Salamatu Abdulai (SA): I started playing football when I was around five years old. My dad was like my coach in the beginning and encouraged me a lot. I then started playing with a women’s team in Tamale called Voltic Ladies FC, currently called Bagabaga Ladies FC. Then my coach also motivated me a lot until I got a call up to the U17 national team between 2020 to 2021. However, there was the Covid pandemic at the time, so we could not play. I kept training and then I was called up to the U20 and we played the qualifiers, this was in 2022. I managed to become the top scorer and we qualified to go to Costa Rica. I then came to Swieqi United.
ES: You are into your second year in Malta and this year we are seeing you doing very well in both the Assikura Women’s Youth League and Assikura Women’s League. How would you sum up the experience so far and were there any differences you noticed as you became more comfortable going into this season?
SA: The first year was my first time playing as a professional footballer, and there were only a few games left. So, I needed some time to adjust and there was not much of it. The coach and the players helped a lot so this year it’s much better. For example, last year I never played against Birkirkara, but played Hibernians, Mtarfa and Raiders Lija. So, this season it was different for sure to start from the beginning with the team.
ES: You were the top scorer with 23 goals in the Assikura Women’s League and also scored 14 goals in the Assikura Women’s Youth League, where you won the title. Was it a target of yours to reach these numbers of goals?
SA: In the beginning of the season, I just wanted to prove to everyone that I could do it. It’s nice to score a lot of goals, but my aim was to have more impact in the team overall. So, it was important for me to contribute and help the team. However, it’s a plus to have gotten those goals.
ES: We’ve seen you play in different positions as a number 10, striker, on the wing and even a bit deeper. Is there a position that you prefer and how did you get used to playing in the different positions?
SA: I love to play in the number 10 position. However, the beginning of the season with coach Saviour (Darmanin) made me realise I could perform very well in those other positions as well. He worked a lot on me in converting me to this form.
ES: Are there any major differences you notice between playing in the two leagues, in terms of maybe even physicality?
SA: The youth team is a bit different from the senior team. The senior side is very competitive, there’s a lot of challenge there. In the youth league the team understood each other and we played according to what the coach wanted. As regards the leagues themselves, I would not say that the senior league offered much of a big difference in terms of physical challenge to what I am used to.
ES: Coming from Ghana, your performances earned you a place with the U20 national team where you scored to help the team qualify for the FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup this year. What was the experience for you like to get the call-up and play in the matches including grabbing a goal to get qualification?
SA: I could not sleep that night. I remember we went to training, went back to the house and I saw the list. I was really happy and excited to be part of the team. I wanted to do my absolute best in the competition to help the team qualify.
ES: What are the major differences for you between competing for the club and competing for the national team?
SA: In Africa the style of play is a lot more aggressive, so it is something that you need to adjust to when playing at national team level to qualify. It is different to playing in the league in Malta, but I like the game here too.
Quick-Fire Questions:
- Score or Assist? – Score
- Favourite thing to do since moving to Malta, that is not related to football? – I’m pretty quiet, so prefer to stay at home and just focus on football.
- Favourite football player? – Lauren James
- Play in cold weather or hot weather? – I can do both
- Take player one-on-one or play one-twos with teammates? – One-twos
- If you were not a football player, what sport would you play? – Athletics
- Play music or dance to it? – Play music
- Play football at night or during the day? – Night match
- One place you would like to go to? – Spain
- Dream competition to play in? – UEFA Women’s Champions League
The Sporting Fan would like to thank Salamatu Abdulai for her time to be able bring you this feature and look forward to seeing more of her on the pitch.
Swieqi United’s U19 team will attempt to close off their season with the double, by lifting the Assikura Women’s Youth Knockout. The first round will be played tomorrow, with Swieqi United hosting Birkirkara at 14:00, followed by SKMM against San Gwann at 16:30. Both matches will be played at the Sirens Stadium.
Lead Image: Michael Azzopardi (Swieqi United FC)
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