ENSCHEDE, August 5, 2017 - Just one more goal could havemade the difference for Scotland and Ifeoma Dieke at the UEFA Women's EURO,which reaches a climax in Enschede.
Instead the newcomers have returned home after fallingshort in the group stage of the tournament, with 36-year-old Dieke mulling overher retirement from international football.
In her own words: "I am just planning on stoppinginternational football but continue on with my club football in Sweden [atVittsjö GIK with whom she has played since 2012]."
For the veteran defender, who has earned more than 120caps for Scotland since 2004, it has been a "huge honour andprivilege".
In 2015, she was one of the elite few recognized forreaching the milestone of a hundred caps and more for the team.
The centre-back told AIPS: "Twelve years-plus ofhard work, fun, joy. A lot of ups and a few downs with the national team, withtwo very different coaches and many teammates during my time.
"I love playing for Scotland, a huge honour andprivilege that not all footballershave the opportunity to experience."
The high point of her career had to be the UEFA Women'sEURO 2017 which marks Scotland's first ever appearance in a major tournament.
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She and Kim Little were the only two Scots who made theGreat Britain squad for the London Olympics in 2012. However a long-term injurysuffered in action kept her out for nearly two years.
Born to Nigerian parents in Amherst Massachusetts, beforetheir move to Cumbernauld, Scotland when she was three, Dieke also had the optionof playing for the USA who are regarded as one of the most successful women'sfootball team in the world. But she refused the offer when it came.
Dieke said: "At the time I had already been to twocamps with Scotland, and leading up to going into camp with the USA in April2004 I didn’t have the same excitement as I did when I was with Scotland and itdidn’t feel right so I chose Scotland."
If Dieke had represented the USA, all things being equal,she would have been boasting one World Cup title and three Olympic gold medals.
But how about perennial African champions, Nigeria?
She said: "International football wasn’t a thing Ihad intended to do, I was just happy playing club football. Scotland and theUSA approached me but Nigeria never did so there was no choice to makethere."
Deke added: "I have two Nigerian teammates currentlyat my club [Ngozi Okobi & Osinache Ohale] and also in the Swedish leaguepast and present there are and have been many Nigerian players.
"So when the world cup or so comes around I followthe results of the team to see how they are doing. I don’t know much aboutwomen’s football in Nigeria but I do know there are many talentedplayers."
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Dieke was one of two players of Nigerian descent at theWomen's EURO in the Netherlands, the other one being Eseosa Aigbogunrepresenting Switzerland.
The business management graduate from FloridaInternational played every minute of the three group matches for Scotland,describing the tournament as a "brilliant experience". But sheadmitted it could have been better.
Dieke told AIPS: "We didn’t have a great start withthe first two games against England and Portugal but in the last game againstSpain we showed what we are about as a team, finally doing ourselves justiceand performing how we know we can, showing the passion and fighting spirit thatwe possess that we hadn’t shown as a whole in the first two games."
As for memories, she said: "The incredible supportfrom our fans in the good times but especially when we were losing or lost.They continued to sing, cheer us and were the life and soul of the party.
"The number of people I’ve encountered and they tellyou how much watching us has made them happy and proud and what we have donefor them or the country makes me smile knowing I had a part to play inthat."
Follow Chibuogwu Nnadiegbulam on Twitter @Chibuogwu_N
