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CLAIM: Michelle Alozie is a footballer and medical doctor that plays midfield for the Nigerian Super Falcons.
VERDICT: MISLEADING. Findings from FIFA’s interview reveal she is a medical researcher, not a medical doctor. She is also not a midfielder but a defender, contrary to the Facebook user’s claim.
Full Text
Michelle Alozie’s remarkable debut performance at the ongoing Women’s World Cup tournament in Australia and New Zealand has attracted a lot of praise and affection from fans.
Amidst these swelling accolades for the American-Nigerian football sensation, a Facebook user, Emmy Worldclass, posted a rather informal resume of the Nigerian defender, including her professional qualifications.
“Here is 25 years old, Dr. Michelle Alozie. She is a medical doctor and footballer. Michelle is a Nigeria Super Falcons midfielder,” part of the post reads.
The post attracted a host of social media engagements, including 51,000 likes, 1,600 comments and shared by 1,200 others.
Some of the comments seem to hold a sentiment that she is a medical doctor due to her work in the medical field. “Indeed you are a model combining a doctor’s profession with a football profession…” another user, Augustine Alogala, wrote.
Due to the post’s virality, we decided to clarify Ms Alozie’s professional career.
Verification
We verified the Ms Alozie’s academic and professional career and her football playing position.
From the football star’s LinkedIn, we saw that she has a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology from the University of Yale (2015- 2019), a Master of Science (MS) in Sports Psychology and Motor Behaviour from the University of Tennessee, and completed her first year (2019-2022) qualifications.
We conducted a keyword search and found a Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) interview with the American-Nigerian international, published on July 23, 2023.
In this publication, Ms Alozie clarifies she is not a medical doctor but a medical researcher. She spends her morning training with Houston Dash in the NWSL and her afternoons at Texas Children’s Hospital as a research technician studying acute leukaemia and cancer.
She commented, “Strenuous, too, is medical research. Spending long hours poring over papers.
“I feel like any time something happens, if there’s a little injury, if someone gets knocked, if their stomach hurts, they come to me!” she laughed. “I’m like, Guys, I’m not a doctor; I actually don’t know what’s going on internally with you!”
Also, contrary to the Facebook post that Ms Alozie is a midfielder, she is a Super Falcons defender.
Conclusion
While it is true Michelle Alozie juggles being a footballer with her passion for medicine, she is a medical researcher and not a medical doctor. She is also a defender, not a midfielder.
