Super Falcons defender Ashleigh Plumptre has revealed that her father played a pivotal role in convincing her to join Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad.
The 25-year-old, who made 62 appearances for Leicester City during her three-year stay, left the English side following the expiration of her contract.
In an interview with BBC Sport, Plumptre admitted she was initially hesitant about the move until she spoke with Al Ittihad’s management and personally visited Saudi Arabia.
“I spoke to some teams in the UK, US, and Europe, then Dad said there was a team in Saudi Arabia interested in me. I was shocked. My initial reaction was ‘no’, but I wanted to give them a chance,” she said.
“I had an hour-long call with the coach and two members of the management team, and I told Dad, ‘I have a really good feeling about this.’ We barely even spoke about football it was more about who we are and what we’re passionate about.”
Plumptre added that following her instincts and seeing things for herself sealed the decision.
“I’m someone who goes off feeling and intuition. I wanted to visit and see what it was really like. I spent two days there and really liked it, and when I left, I thought, ‘this is where I want to be.’”
