Beat the Odds: Lessons from the 1996 Nigerian Football Team

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Discover the powerful journey of the 1996 Nigerian Olympic football team and how their story is a potent reminder of resilience and self-belief. This episode of Confidently Beautiful delves into how these underdogs shocked the world by defeating formidable opponents and inspiring generations to come. Their story conveys a universal message: despite facing tremendous odds, we can triumph through determination and courage.

Join me as we explore the intersections of confidence, motherhood, and personal growth. You’ll hear insights on pushing past self-doubt, embracing challenges, and nurturing your inner rockstar. We’ll reflect on the hardships every woman faces in her journey and how we can derive strength from stories like that of the Nigerian team.

Every listener will leave feeling empowered, realizing they, too, can shock the world in their own unique way. Let’s celebrate the spirit of resilience together and remind ourselves that we are stronger than we think! Share this episode with someone who needs that extra boost of confidence and don’t forget to connect with me on social media. Subscribe, share, and let’s uplift each other on this journey toward being confidently beautiful!

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Episode Transcript

Ciera (00:03):
You're listening to Confidently Beautiful with Ciera
, a podcast to help you stayconfidently beautiful, because
we all have confidence inside us.
We just need to bring it outand I'm here to show you how
Body image, dreams, parenting,style, personality and more.
Here we cover it all.
Get ready to stay confidentlybeautiful.
Hello, hello, welcome back toanother episode of Confidently

(00:27):
Beautiful with Ciera.
I am your host, Ciera, and I amso happy to be here.
Before we dive in, let me hityou with a little reminder.
You are amazing, no, really.
Have you actually stopped tothink about that today?
Because I need you to, and Iknow you might be thinking and
rolling your eyes.
Okay, Ciera, sure, but if youreally knew me, you would be

(00:48):
saying different.
You really wouldn't be sayingthat if you knew who I was,
sierra.
Well, here's the thing I maynot know you personally Maybe I
do but I do know this about youYou're here listening to this
podcast, showing up for yourselfand wanting to grow, to feel
more confident, to chase thosedreams and to be the best

(01:13):
version of you, and that, in myopinion, is amazing.
So take a second and sit alittle taller, take a deep
breath, give yourself that, yes,I am a freaking rockstar energy
, because I believe that you areOkay.
Now let's get into today's story, after we're all feeling really
great about ourselves, a storythat hit me right in the heart
when I heard it.
It's about a team that defiedall odds, a team that wasn't

(01:35):
supposed to win, but guess whatthey did?
And I am talking about the 1996Nigerian Olympic football team.
Okay, this is a podcast aboutconfidence, right?
We typically talk aboutmotherhood and confidence and
beauty, style, fashion, allthose things, and now I'm
talking about soccer.
Why did we come here?
But just stay with me.

(01:56):
This story has really beensticking with me ever since I
heard it.
It's a story about resilienceand belief and pushing past what
people think you can't do orwhat they think that you can do,
and I believe that that is forall of us.
This is for all of us to hear.
So a quick side note of course,this is the Nigerian Olympic
football team, so my ears alwaysperk up when I hear someone

(02:17):
mention something about Africa.
My husband has a deepconnection to Africa.
He lived there serving amission for our church, and
while he was there, I wrote himevery single week, and so Africa
will always have a specialplace in our hearts.
He really grew to love thepeople there.
We have a dream to go backthere and, you know, have him,
show me around and see all thathe saw.

(02:38):
So you know, having this be theNigerian football team that it
just like that right there, justlike, made me stop and listen
to this story.
So back to the story.
This is a true story In 1996,picture this the Nigerian team.
They are like massive underdogsand they're up against some of
the biggest and best and mostdominant teams in the whole

(02:58):
world.
They're in the Olympics and noone thought that they had a
chance.
But what did this team do?
They shocked the world.
The team beat Mexico 2-0 in thequarterfinals, they beat Brazil
4-3 in the semifinals and theybeat Argentina 3-2 in the finals

(03:19):
game.
The victory inspired so manynew generations of football
players.
The ripple effect that this hadon so many was inspiring and it
showed that African teams couldcompete at the highest level
globally, which hadn't beenproved before.
It marked a new era ofexcellence in Nigerian sports.
This, just it like, propelledtheir confidence and it made
them feel so much more confidentin every area and they all felt

(03:39):
like they would have theconfidence and the ability to
succeed.
So I've been thinking a lotabout this story.
Yes, it's about soccer,football but how could it relate
to us?
Isn't that what we all want?
We all want to beat the odds.
We all want to prove toourselves, and maybe even to the
doubters, that we are strongerthan we even realize.

(04:00):
So how do we beat the odds?
As moms, as women, as dreamchasers?
Maybe you're in the middle of ahard season, balancing kids,
your career, your own personalgoals, trying to maybe figure
out who you are and trying toremember just to drink enough
water during the day.
Maybe you're facing a healthstruggle, or maybe you're
dealing with that voice in yourhead that's saying who do you

(04:20):
think you are to go for thatdream?
Here's what I know the peoplewho changed the game are the
ones who refused to back down.
Let me say that again.
The people who changed the gameare the ones who refused to
back down, just like thisfootball team.
They refused to back down.
They refused to give into thosedoubters that said they
couldn't do it.
They were the underdogs, butthey refused to give into that.

(04:41):
They just kept trying.
So the ones who keep going,even when no one believes in
them yet they are the ones whoare going to succeed.
They're the ones who are goingto find that confidence inside
them and they are going to win.
So take this as your little peptalk.
Whatever it is in your lifethat you're going through, life
can be so hard.
There can be so much going on,but what can you beat the odds

(05:03):
with?
Think of this football team andtry and beat your odds.
How can you bring yourconfidence out and be the best
person that you can be?
If there's someone in your lifewho is beating the odds, send
them this episode, let them knowthat you see them, that you're
cheering them on, and if thatperson is you because, let's be
real, you are stronger than youthink then take this as your

(05:26):
sign to just keep on going.
You're amazing, you are capableand you are going to shock the
world, just like this Nigerianteam.
I know you are going to shockthe world, you're going to shock
yourself and I know that youcan do it.
So you are amazing and I willtalk to you next time.
Thanks for listening.
Connect with me on Instagram atconfidently beautiful podcast

(05:47):
and share this episode withsomeone in your life who could
use a little reminder of justhow amazing they already are.
Stay confidently beautiful.