The village girl who defied all odds to shine on the international scene through football

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"Officially a hawk. Glad to officially announce that I have joined the Besiktas family. Big club with big ambitions." This was her first major announcement this year that she sent out via her social media channels after inking a two year deal with the Turkish football club.

Meet 27 year old Esse Mbeyu Akida who has endeared herself as a darling to millions of football fans across the globe because of her prowess on the field. Born in Kilifi county, Esse nostalgically remembers playing children games with her 2 brothers.

Nurturing talent

It was not until she was 8 years old that she took a special interest in football especially at school.  She got enrolled into Moving The Goal Post-Kenya (MTGPK), a development organization that harnesses the power of sport to overcome social obstacles faced by  girls and young women in coastal Kenya. "I started playing when I was 8 years old and it was all I wanted to do," she tells me. It is while at MTGPK that she honed her football skills something that thrust her into the national scene as a football player.

Achievements

Esse, whose favorite football club is Manchester United, has played for Thika Queens and has been a Harambee Starlets forward who has led her team in the African Women Cup of Nations qualifiers and CECAFA women championships.

She received the Sports Journalist Association of Kenya (SJAK) awards in 2017.
She was also awarded the golden boot winner at the 2016 COTIF Women's Football Tournament for being the top scorer.

Her first professional stint was at her previous club FC Ramat HaSharon of Israel which she joined in October 2018.

The graduate in Entrepreneurship from Methodist University will be the first East African female player to play at the women's UEFA Champions League. I ask her how it feels. "Good move!Big club! This is a new challenge to further my dreams of playing in the Champions League," she says beaming with excitement.

I also ask her about the difference between playing football in Kenya and Turkey. "Big difference. They take football seriously. The level of professionalism is on another level."

During her free time, Esse loves listening to music and watching clips of  her favorite male footballer Christiano Ronaldo.

She advises young girls who would love to follow her path that. "It is never easy. Opportunities are there if you put in the effort. Never use gender as an excuse in fighting for opportunities. Use your strength, your talent and your skills."

Essie wants the Kenya government to take up sports as a business and treat it so.