22 January 2024
After scoring her first goal for Juventus Women and, in doing so, sealing three vital points away at Sassuolo, January signing Joe Echegini made Monday afternoon a special one by appearing on the club's official Twitch channel to speak directly to the fans.
During the chat, Joe discussed her signing for Juventus, her first goal for the club at Sassuolo, playing at a World Cup and her newly-formed dance group with teammates Julia Grosso, Lineth Beerensteyn and Maelle Garbino.
Below, we've picked out some of the best bits of Joe's Twitch stream.
The importance of her goal at Sassuolo
“Yes, it was definitely important. Being in a place like this we always compete for championships is amazing and I know the important of the goal and of every game. It was an important moment of the game and I’m happy, it was a confidence booster for me personally, and most importantly it gave us three points.
“I zoned out in the moment. Even when the ball fell to me I just knew I had to get it on target, to keep it down, then it went in and I just felt people jumping on me, person after person. I was trying to catch one, then another, and then my legs just gave up. They’re an amazing group of people.
“The ball landed perfectly at my foot and I’d be ashamed of myself if I didn’t control it. It’s about putting yourself in the right position to score. I’m happy, and I have to give props to [Arianna] Caruso and Boa [Lisa Boattin] on the left who played their part in the goal.”
Her background and growth in football
“I started playing football at four with my brother and dad in the back yard. My dad thought I was good so signed me up for the local team and my brother signed up at the same time. I wanted to be like my brother, so I joined and I was in goal for my first game, it was terrible and I hated football [laughs]. But then I started playing outfield and really enjoyed it, and then after that I played with boys from age four to 11 and a lot of my football was on the streets - we had these 'Cruyff courts' that were open to the public and I’d play there with my friends before school, during school and after school... always, and that's where I found my passion.
“At 11 I moved to the UK and started playing with girls, which was a different experience and kind of scary. At 17 I started playing with Arsenal and I always wanted to be a professional football player but it was never a reality until my first Nigeria call up in March 2022. I was really excited about it and I was talking to my coach about trasnsferring schools to another university in the US.
"Then, he asked if I could go to Canada and I said yes. I was in class when it happened and I was so happy that I wasn't paying attention, I was so giddy on my phone. Since then I’ve been with the national team, I transferred to a new school and started to take football more seriously, I realised then that it could be a real thing."
Going to the 2023 Women's World Cup
“That was amazing, just as an experience alone. I’m really proud of how much the women’s game has grown. I’m still young, 22, and when I started playing we didn’t have girls’ teams. Now we're selling out stadiums in places like Brisbane and I’m really happy to see how it’s grown and to be a part of it is amazing.
“Everybody dreams of playing in a World Cup so to step onto that field is like ticking off another life goal. It’s something you never forget, I’m happy to be part of the team and I can’t wait for what’s next.
