Princess: ‘World Cup vibe has been amazing’

England women’s under-20s head into the FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup knockout stages in Poland, when they face Nigeria on Thursday (2pm BST).

Ahead of the game, we caught up with Young Lionesses striker Princess Ademiluyi who has been leading the line for Lydia Bright’s team and is also of Nigerian heritage.

Firstly Princess…how has the World Cup been for you so far, both on and off the pitch?

“It’s been amazing. It’s been an experience, for sure. It’s not something that I’ve done before; being at an U20 World Cup. From minute one, the vibe has been amazing. Being on the field felt surreal, all that preparation and we’re finally in it. I’ve been excited the whole way through, and now we’re into the Round of 16. I’m just ready to go again.”

We’ve reached the knockout stages, which would always have been the first target before the group stages, how are the girls feeling going into this tie?

“I feel like it’s a different feeling now. Being in the tournament, we know what it feels like to step out on the field in this World Cup, so I don’t think it’s too different from the group stages. Obviously, now, it’s a bit tighter because if we don’t win this game we go home. I don’t think that’s an issue for us. I think we’ve built that connectivity around the field, so it’s a case of showing up again and doing that consistently.”

You have Nigerian heritage, so the prospect of this game must be a really special one for you and your family?

“It’s amazing to play against Nigeria, but it doesn’t change the game. When I step out onto that field I will show up like it’s any other game. After the game though, it’ll be nice to chat to a few of their players and see how they’re doing on their side.”

Tell us a little about your journey in the game…

“My story is quite simple. I’ve got an older brother and growing up in Peckham, there’s a lot of cage football around, practically everywhere you went. He would take me around to these cages and that’s how I fell in love with the game. He was a big ‘baller, so it was a case of playing on concrete in those cages with the boys. Then it became a morning thing, or an after-school thing. Any moment I could find, I was kicking a ball around.”

How much of an experience has this been for you in terms of your career, out playing at a World Cup?

“It’s amazing. It’s an opportunity for me to show the world what I can bring at the end of the day. To be able to do that on the world stage is amazing because regardless of my background or where I came from, I get to play and show ‘this is who I am’ and people get to see that.”

You can watch the game live on FIFA+ as England look to secure their place in the quarter-final.