Ronaldinho, a moving childhood and a meteoric rise: meet Edna Imade

Edna Imade sits relaxed on a workout bench, her hands on her thighs, her trainers firmly planted on the floor. The soft light of the Spanish January sun streams through the windows of the gym, bathing the room in a warm glow. Outside, beyond the palm trees and shimmering air, lies the pitch. Inside, there's a concentrated silence, broken only by the soft clinking of weights. Then her first words. "Hello, I'm Edna," she says. In German. Courageous and determined. A moment later, she laughs loudly, surprised at herself. A hearty laugh that fills the room. The 25-year-old has a presence that is not pushy, but inviting. She speaks very little German so far, just a few words, a few polite phrases such as thank you and please. But this sentence hits home. Three words that conceal a whole life.

📸 The best photos from Edna Imade's first training sessions with FCB Women:

Back earlier than planned

Edna joined up with the FC Bayern Women a few days ago. Six months before the original end of her loan spell, she's returned to her new club, where she signed her contract in the summer. Just the previous weekend, she had once again shown her class in Spain, scoring three goals in her loan club Real Sociedad San Sebastián's thrilling 5-5 draw with Atlético Madrid. A perfect farewell to the Basque Country. "Three goals, and now I'm already here," she says with a grin. "It's a big move, a new chapter, another change. The team's given me a very warm welcome. I'm looking forward to my time here." The grin stays on her face.

A new chapter is now beginning for the striker, one that will take her to the big stages of the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup and the Champions League. Her journey won't begin in Munich, however, but at a training camp in southern Spain, not far from her family's home. Edna grew up in Carmona, a small town northeast of Seville, idyllically situated on the banks of the Río Guadalquivir. "This is where I spent my childhood," she says. "This is where I grew up with my family and friends. And it's also where my love of football began."

A mother's decision

But Edna's story doesn't begin here, not with the ball at her feet. It begins in a place she can hardly remember, yet which determines everything. She was born on 5 October 2000 with her twin brother Paul. While fleeing to Spain.

Edna's mother comes from Nigeria and lived in Benin City. A city where life eventually became too restrictive and the future too limited. Violence, lack of prospects, insecurity. Terms that seem sobering from a distance until they become your own reality. Edna's mother made a decision. She left. "My mum wanted to come to Spain because she was expecting twins and wanted to give us a better life." It was the beginning of an odyssey, a journey through the Sahara, through heat, sand and exhaustion. Anyone who crosses this desert leaves a lot behind: time, strength. Edna's mother took this path.

"After we were born, when we were three or four months old – we were born in Morocco – we travelled to Spain." But first came the sea, that treacherous boundary between hope and loss. The crossing took place in a patera, a wooden boat. Shortly before reaching the Spanish coast, the almost unimaginable happened: a wave, a jolt, and her little brother Paul's body suddenly slipped into the water. Screams. Panic. A man jumped in after him and pulled him back into the boat. Edna was an infant; she has no memories of this herself. But she carries this story within her, like something inherited, resonating in every gesture, every glance. Even today, 25 years later.

Protection behind monastery walls

Algeciras in southern Spain. Arriving at the port, a monastery became a refuge and a new beginning. Help that doesn't ask where you come from, but what you need. At first, her mother, brother and Edna found shelter in the monastery. "We received help from the church and many organisations. I'm very grateful because we were warmly welcomed from the very first moment. Thanks to all these people, I'm here today, I'm the person I am," she says.

Home in a ball

The story continued in Seville, then Carmona, her hometown. That's where, as she herself says, her childhood began, where survival gave way to everyday life. Edna grew up in Spain, learned the language, lived and felt the mentality of the country. At the age of six, she discovered football. At school, with the boys. "The sports teacher told my mother that I wasn't too bad and should try out for the club. That's how I got started. My mum would have preferred to see me dancing, but I liked football from the very beginning." She stuck with the round leather ball. And found her home in it.

The rise to the top

Edna grew up playing in boys' teams. She learned early on to assert herself – with her body, her mind and her determination. As a child, she discovered indoor football: tight spaces, quick decisions, technique under pressure. "I learned a lot back then, whether it was technique or feints," says the 25-year-old today. When asked about her role models, she doesn't have to think long. "Ever since I was little, I've always really liked Messi and Ronaldinho," she says. "People always told me I was a bit like Ronaldinho because I wore my hair down like him." She remembers countless hours spent with friends studying videos of her idols in order to improve and learn. Then as now, her twin brother Paul, who now works as a trainer in a gym, is always by her side. She started out playing with him on the streets, and it was with him that she discovered her love for her passion. "He's one of the most important people in my life. Not just in terms of sport, but in all aspects of life."

📸 Edna Imade with her twin brother:

Edna's journey is not limited to conventional narrative patterns. With almost stoic determination, she has pursued her dream of becoming a professional footballer since early childhood. "I've always had this goal in mind since I was little." It's a path that has taken her from CD Santa Ana Femenino, CD AD Nervión, FC Málaga and CP Cacereño Femenino 2023 to Granada. To the Primera División. There she made her first division debut, scoring five goals in her maiden season. What initially sounded like a delicate blossoming turned into an eruption in the following season: 16 goals, second place in the scoring charts. Only Barcelona's Ewa Pajor surpassed her.

Between discipline and passion

But her story is more than just a string of sporting triumphs. It also tells of hard work – on the pitch, but also off it. On her rise to the top, she took up whistling in her spare time, refereeing matches and working as a referee to earn much-needed pocket money. And then, in her first appearance for FC Bayern Women in a friendly against Gotham, the game was refereed by the very people she once officiated games with. Coming full circle in a quiet, beautiful way. It's this special blend of discipline, passion and pragmatism that makes Edna's journey so remarkable. And it makes her one of the most interesting characters in women's football.

In the summer of 2025, she then signed for FC Bayern. She initially went out on loan to Real Sociedad San Sebastián, where she made her mark, scoring 13 goals in 13 appearances. Edna scored the winner in a 1-0 victory over Spanish giants Barcelona. It was the first time since May 2019 that the Catalans failed to score in a league game. Imade played a key role in this victory. The reward for all those sacrifices? In November, she made her debut for the Spanish national team, in the Nations League final against Germany, which the Spanish Selección ultimately went on to win. After the match, during the doping control, she happened to meet her future teammate Alara, as she casually recounts. "We talked, she also speaks Spanish. I'm looking forward to spending time with her," Edna said later. It's a nice story to go with her greatest success to date, which underscores the character of the 25-year-old.

Three words, a whole life

Edna Imade's story isn't a typical football one. Football is her tool, not her origins. Her story is about a mother who gave everything for her children's lives. About gratitude as an attitude. When Edna says today, "Hello, I'm Edna," she's not just introducing herself. She's showing a story that's bigger than a game. A story that shows that anything is possible.

👋 In addition to Edna Imade, Bernadette Amani will also be bolstering the FC Bayern Women in future:

👀 Get to know our new signings Edna Imade & Bernadette Amani even better here: