Nadia Nadim has built one of the most extraordinary careers in world sport: refugee, professional footballer, Danish international, physician and global advocate for girls’ education.

Her career is still active in 2026. On July 31, HB Køge Women announced that Nadim had signed a new one-year contract after helping the club win a domestic Double and qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League. HB Køge called the extension one of the biggest stories in Danish women’s soccer that summer.

Nadim was born in Herat, Afghanistan. After her father was killed by the Taliban, she fled the country with her mother and sisters and eventually reached Denmark, where the family lived in a refugee camp. Football became one of the first things that made the new country feel like home.

She did not choose. Nadim rose through Danish club football and eventually played for teams including Portland Thorns, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Racing Louisville, AC Milan and HB Køge. She also earned more than 100 senior caps for Denmark and scored 38 international goals.

At the same time, she studied medicine. Nadim completed medical school in 2022 after years of balancing exams and clinical training with professional football. FIFA now describes her as both a successful international footballer and a qualified doctor.

[ESPN FC] Nadia Nadim fled Afghanistan when she was 11 after her father was killed. She has scored 200 goals. Played for PSG and Man City. Represented Denmark 99 times. Speaks 11 languages. This week she qualified as a doctor after 5 years of studying whilst playing football. Wow 👏
byu/ElKaddouriCSC insoccer

The combination remains rare even among elite athletes. Nadim has continued playing at a high level while using her platform to support education and equal opportunity. In 2026, the United Nations highlighted her continued work as a UNESCO Champion for Girls’ and Women’s Education.

Nadim’s résumé belongs beside Myron Rolle’s path from Florida State safety to pediatric neurosurgeon, Eric Heiden’s journey from five Olympic gold medals to orthopedic surgery, and Mae Jemison’s career from engineering and medicine to spaceflight. Nadim’s version is exceptional because the football and medical careers were not sequential. For years, she pursued both at the same time.

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