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The Harambee Starlets striker believes she is at an age where winning titles and league prestige do not matter
Harambee Starlets striker Esse Akida says her motivation now is making money from football rather than winning titles.
Akida, who plays for Greek champions PAOK, has just led the club to their 18th overall league title having bagged 10 goals.
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09:52 - 31.05.2023
FOOTBALL 'Abandon that ugali type of football' - Akida on what ails Kenyan football as she reveals desire to join Manchester United
The Harambee Starlets striker feels Kenyan football needs to evolve to harness full penitential of players.
The former Spedag striker has been to Israel, Spain, and Turkey before making a move to Greece two years ago and feels at her age, it is of no use chasing titles and prestige if she can earn much more somewhere else.
“I am at an age where my dream is paying so I will not say I want to play in Spain or England, I want to play where I will get resources and get paid well,” the 30-year-old said during an interview with Betnare TV on Monday night.
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16:45 - 24.05.2023
STARS ABROAD ‘We cook football too and we good at it’ - Akida explains reason behind signature celebration
The Harambee Starlets forward feels there is need to pass a strong message to the rest of the world regarding women’s football
“At my age, I am looking at what I will get rather than what I will win or whom I am playing against.”
“Right now, I am enjoying football even more because I am doing what I love and it is paying me. I have also discovered myself, right now I have a purpose, goals and objectives. When I was young, I was just playing without a purpose.”
The striker is perhaps cognizant of the fact that football is short career and she admits besides looking for big cheque she is also counting on her papers when she finally hangs up her boots after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the Kenya Methodist University four years ago.
“It’s difficult to balance sports and education. I have had a very difficult time. I was to graduate around 2016, 2017 but I had to postpone it and ended up graduating in absentia because I am chasing this dream,” she added.
16:00 - 21.05.2023
STARS ABROAD Harambee Starlets striker Akida revels in PAOK title triumph
She was also on the scoresheet as they laid their hands on a record league title.
“I appreciate my parents made it happen. KEMU tried to build a women’s team. I had to transfer from Mombasa campus to Meru because I wanted to be actively playing.”
The striker scored 22 goals in her debut season at PAOK to bag the Golden Boot Award before adding 10 in the just concluded campaign. She recently attributed the reduced tally to the quality of the division improving.
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09:31 - 23.04.2023
STARS ABROAD Akida bags brace as PAOK win back-to-back playoff games in Greek league
The Harambee Starlets striker inspired her side to the crucial victory with a second half double
Akida signed off the season in style as she scored twice in PAOK’s 3-1 win over OFI Crete with the club reclaiming the title they last won in 2021.
With the title win, the former Thika Queens attacker will feature in the UEFA Champions League for the third time in her career, although PAOK will have to navigate past the qualifiers to make the group stage.
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