Valencia move didn't come easy
Namibia's female goal poacher Zenatha Coleman recently signed with Spanish Primera División side Valencia for two seasons.
Valencia, Spain's third-largest city and the cradle of blossoming women footballers, will see local striker, 24-year-old Zenatha Coleman, making history as the only Namibian player in its ranks.
Coleman has moved from Spain's Zaragoza CCF, who were relegated last season, to Valencia, which ended fifth.
Even though her former club was relegated, the versatile player came close to almost singlehandedly saving her side after scoring seven goals in 15 games.
“The move to one of the best leagues in Europe would not have happened if not for the hard work of my agent. I come from a small country no one knew anything about. In the space of six months, I was scoring goals and God made it possible for this to happen,” Coleman said.
She joined Zaragoza after inspiring Lithuanian giants Gintra Universitetas to a domestic double and the Champions League round of 16 last year. Before signing with by Gintra she played for top local side Tura Magic in 2016.
She becomes the third player to be signed by Valencia this season, following the arrival of Monica Flores and Jucinara Soares.
Coleman attributed her success to the fact that she works really hard on the field.
“People confuse my hard work with talent,” she said.
The striker encouraged the establishment of an active local league, in order for Namibian women footballers to get the chance to be scouted and play abroad.
“The national team should be able to compete in international friendlies as well, but for that to happen, women's football needs help.”
The Spanish club, which the Namibian will now call home, was founded in 2009 and struggled prior to the appointment of Cristian Toro as manager in 2012.
Under his leadership and with an increased investment into the club, Valencia has progressed from a 13th-place finish in the 2012/13 season to a third-place finish in the 2016/17 season.
There are three reasons for the city's success on the nascent Spanish women's football scene - infrastructure, social culture and geography.
Both Valencia and rival club Levante have superb setups, with strong state-of-the-art training facilities and legitimate marketing efforts, which bolster their on- and off-pitch performances.
This will be Coleman's training ground, as she gears to break records.
-Additional reporting by womenssoccerzone.com
LIMBA MUPETAMI
Coleman has moved from Spain's Zaragoza CCF, who were relegated last season, to Valencia, which ended fifth.
Even though her former club was relegated, the versatile player came close to almost singlehandedly saving her side after scoring seven goals in 15 games.
“The move to one of the best leagues in Europe would not have happened if not for the hard work of my agent. I come from a small country no one knew anything about. In the space of six months, I was scoring goals and God made it possible for this to happen,” Coleman said.
She joined Zaragoza after inspiring Lithuanian giants Gintra Universitetas to a domestic double and the Champions League round of 16 last year. Before signing with by Gintra she played for top local side Tura Magic in 2016.
She becomes the third player to be signed by Valencia this season, following the arrival of Monica Flores and Jucinara Soares.
Coleman attributed her success to the fact that she works really hard on the field.
“People confuse my hard work with talent,” she said.
The striker encouraged the establishment of an active local league, in order for Namibian women footballers to get the chance to be scouted and play abroad.
“The national team should be able to compete in international friendlies as well, but for that to happen, women's football needs help.”
The Spanish club, which the Namibian will now call home, was founded in 2009 and struggled prior to the appointment of Cristian Toro as manager in 2012.
Under his leadership and with an increased investment into the club, Valencia has progressed from a 13th-place finish in the 2012/13 season to a third-place finish in the 2016/17 season.
There are three reasons for the city's success on the nascent Spanish women's football scene - infrastructure, social culture and geography.
Both Valencia and rival club Levante have superb setups, with strong state-of-the-art training facilities and legitimate marketing efforts, which bolster their on- and off-pitch performances.
This will be Coleman's training ground, as she gears to break records.
-Additional reporting by womenssoccerzone.com
LIMBA MUPETAMI
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