Daring to dream: Teenage duo Ouedraogo and Ruth ready for stardom with Ivory Coast

They have never played a single minute at professional level and will not make their debuts for Nordsjaelland until the 2026-2027 season, and yet, at just 18 years old, Nsira Ouedraogo - who goes by the name Safi Ouedraogo or Nsira Safi - and Sery Grace Ruth are already key players for Cote d’Ivoire at this WAFCON, which is their first major international tournament.

They trained together at the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana, signed by the Danish club together, and fielded together by Reynald Pedros since the start of the competition: their career paths are almost identical, down to the last detail, apart from one minor difference regarding their respective starts at the academy.

Already making a difference before turning pro

The statistics speak for themselves. In the Elephants’ first three group stage matches, Ouedraogo has scored two goals and provided three assists – a tally achieved in record time.

Against Burkina Faso in the opening match - a 4-1 victory - she set up the third goal by delivering a curling corner that was headed home by Ines Konan, before scoring a splendid goal herself from a direct free-kick in the 56th minute.

Three days later against South Africa in a 2-2 draw, she provided two more assists in quick succession for her strike partner Sery Grace Ruth, who scored a brace.

Then, in the decisive 2-1 win over Tanzania, which saw Cote d’Ivoire qualify for the quarter-finals against Algeria, it was her again who opened the scoring with a pivoting volley before winning a penalty that Konan converted, all despite suffering a blow to the head and wearing a large bandage - a performance that earned her the Player of the Match award.

Sery Grace Ruth was no slouch either. As well as her brace against South Africa - which also earned her the Player of the Match award, having torn the defence apart twice with long balls from her long-standing teammate – she was also on the end of a long cross that set up the move leading to the winning goal against Tanzania.

The Ouedraogo-Sery partnership is firing on all cylinders, having been forged long before their arrival in the senior squad. 

Two players who complement each other perfectly

When asked what sets the two players apart, Jessica Davis, the current sporting director of FC Nordsjaelland Women (FCN), has no doubt: their qualities, recognised from a very early age, are as exceptional as they are different. 

She explaned: “Safi is the sort of player who can really create something out of nothing, and do it all on her own. She has incredible pace, she’s very, very strong, and she’s a real threat in front of goal, whilst also being able to put her team-mates in good positions.

"But generally speaking, I’d say Safi is a very individual player, capable of making the difference on her own."

Sery’s profile is the complete opposite: “Sery’s impact is really interesting, because she influences everyone around her and makes her teammates better by putting them in good positions.

"Within the context of a team, Sery has a huge impact on everyone. She’s a leader on the pitch; she uses her voice a lot and directs the players around her.”

According to the Danish manager, this style explains why the two players’ statistics are so closely intertwined on the pitch: “There’s a real connection between the two of them, because they’ve been playing together for many years. That’s why we see a goal from Safi set up by an assist from Sery, or a goal from Sery set up by an assist from Safi: they’re just very well in sync.”

This chemistry didn’t develop overnight: when they were still playing for Right to Dream’s boys’ team, the two players benefited from a less structured style of play and were able to focus on a more attack-oriented role.

Their gradual integration into FCN’s professional women’s squad forced them to learn a completely different set of skills: tracking back, defensive discipline and adhering to a team system. 

“I think their greatest development has been learning to play within a competitive team and the roles they need to fulfil within it, rather than simply being free to do as they please,” sums up Davis, who nevertheless emphasises the balance struck with the coaching staff to ensure their instincts are never stifled.

“You can’t really restrict them by telling them they have to fit into a mould; otherwise, we’d lose the individuality we see in each of them.”

From academy to WAFCON

Although their journeys are so similar today, they did not begin in the same way. Sery Grace Ruth, born on February 6th, 2008, was spotted during a trial reserved for boys, where she played alongside the other participants, before being invited to join the academy.

“I arrived at the academy in Ghana in 2018, and it was a huge challenge for me, but a worthwhile one. I proved to myself that I am capable of adapting and overcoming difficulties,” she said when her transfer was announced.

Ouedraogo’s journey, however, was a longer one. Spotted in a video, she was first invited to Right to Dream for a more formal trial, only to be sent home. This scenario repeated itself three times: on each return, she was given a long list of areas to work on, and she set about tackling them with dedication.

It was only on her fourth attempt, in 2019, that she was officially accepted into the academy, where Sery had joined a few months earlier. The two players, both originally from Abidjan, then grew up in the same co-educational environment, where the best female footballers train alongside the boys to accelerate their progress.

The decision to pursue a sporting career was not always unanimously supported by both families, who were torn between the desire to see their daughters follow a traditional education and the desire to let them devote themselves to football.

It was, in particular, the success of several Ivorian boys trained by Right to Dream – both at the academy and subsequently at FC Nordsjaelland – that finally convinced Safi and Sery’s families that a career in football could be a genuine path to a future.

However, the two players have never neglected their schooling: in addition to a more traditional education, they have received extensive training in practical skills, ranging from managing a bank account to doing the shopping and cooking. This balance, according to Right to Dream, ultimately satisfied both families, without there ever being any real conflict over the matter.

For a long time, Right to Dream’s girls’ programme in Ghana was, in fact, conceived primarily as an educational springboard, rather than a launchpad into professional football.

This approach changed following the example set by Princess Marfo, as Jessica Davis explains: “Many of the most talented players in the Right to Dream programme in Ghana were training with the boys. This was also the case for Princess Marfo, the first player from Right to Dream Ghana’s girls’ programme to sign for FC Nordsjaelland in January 2022.

"Princess, in a way, paved the way by being the first girl from Right to Dream to choose not to follow the academic route to university, but instead to pursue a career in professional football. And when Princess did that, I think it opened the door for the next generation of players.”

Safi and Sery, who were at the Ghanaian academy at the time, closely followed this pioneering journey before joining, for the first time, a training camp with FCN’s women’s first team in Denmark in the summer of 2022, when they were just 14 years old.

The dual example set by Marfo, who moved from FC Nordsjælland to the NWSL in the United States, also played a decisive role in reassuring Safi and Sery’s families, according to Davis.

She added: “The path Princess had carved out made things easier to envisage, because before these two signed their contracts with FCN, Princess had already signed a professional contract here in Denmark, followed by another in the NWSL in the US.

"Many of the girls at Right to Dream saw, for the first time, that this was a viable option. I think that made the task of convincing the families much simpler.”

Both players are now formally represented by agencies, which also support them in communicating with their families.

“What I know for certain is that, given the success they’re enjoying today, their families are all convinced it was the right decision. People are coming out of the woodwork to show their support, whereas four years ago, when we first started encouraging them down this path, there was undoubtedly a bit more resistance,” she concludes.

Two ‘wasted’ years due to regulations

Another thing the two players have in common is that both could have joined FC Nordsjaelland’s professional squad as early as the age of 16. At least, that is what Mads Davidsen, director of football at Right to Dream, says about Safi Ouedraogo: “She was good enough to play for FC Nordsjaelland’s first team from the age of 16. She had to wait two years because of the regulations, but those are the rules, and we follow them.”

A FIFA rule prohibits a minor player from moving to another continent before the age of 18, which explains why Safi  “spent time in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana before joining FC Nordsjaelland this summer, when she turned 18,” according to Davidsen, who understands the principle without denying its unintended consequences in cases such as her own.

“I understand why this rule exists - to protect minors. At one time, it could have been a bit like the Wild West, with children being moved around in ways that weren’t good for anyone. But taken in isolation, for a player like her, this rule has limited her development.”

This disadvantage is all the more frustrating given that some of their European teammates are exempt from this restriction thanks to what Davidsen calls the 'Schengen rule', a FIFA exception that allows the transfer of minors between European Union countries from the age of 16.

“That’s how, for example, a 16-year-old Icelandic player in our squad was able to join FC Nordsjælland at that age, ” he explains.

This option was not available to either Safi or Sery, who were both forced to wait until they turned 18 to move permanently to Denmark, whilst their Danish counterparts can join the club’s academy from the age of 12, 13 or 14 and play their first official matches from the age of 15.

A three-year disadvantage compared to their potential teammates, which Safi and Sery have made up for through several pre-season trips to Denmark over the last few seasons, including training camps and sessions with the first-team squad in Farum.

These years of waiting, however, were not seen as a wasted interlude. The two players initially spent a great deal of time playing with the boys at Right to Dream in Ghana, an experience described as ‘brilliant’ by those close to them.

Then, during their few trips to Denmark, they were able to train sometimes with the club’s U19 women’s side, and sometimes with the women’s first team.

This change of atmosphere was significant: finally finding themselves surrounded by peers, and in particular by girls their own age, brought a different kind of joy - a pleasure experienced quite differently from the time when they trained mainly with boys.

Davidsen also highlights Safi’s exceptional standard in training, which meant she was able to train with the academy’s boys until she was well past 16 – a situation he describes as extremely rare.

He added: “She’s exceptional, and she was strong enough to train with the boys right up until she was 16, which is very rare, because normally at that age the physical difference makes it difficult, as the boys become stronger and faster.

"In her case, she was well up to the standard, so we let her train more with the boys because she needed that level of challenge. She was simply too good for the girls.”

He goes so far as to describe her as a unique case in the academy’s history: “She is undoubtedly the player who has trained most with boys rather than girls throughout her career.”

This blurring of boundaries, he says, never extended to official matches but did, on occasion, spill over into friendlies. 

“She isn’t allowed to play in official matches with boys, but we have sometimes organised friendly matches. The Ivorian players taking part in this Africa Cup of Nations also competed in the Gothia Cup in Sweden, a tournament reserved for boys, as a friendly, and there were amusing anecdotes of scouts in the stands taking notes without realising they were watching girls, such was the deceptive standard.”

At last

The two transfers to FC Nordsjaelland were made official two days apart. Last summer, Safi Ouedraogo signed a three-year professional contract with FC Nordsjaelland, running until 2029, with plans for her to join the first-team squad as early as the 2026-2027 season in the Danish Superliga.

Chelsea had, however, been reported to be interested in her before she chose the Farum-based club. Sery Grace Ruth has also signed a preliminary contract, with a transfer scheduled for 2026.

According to Davis, both players actually formalised their professional contracts as soon as they turned 18 earlier this year, and are already living at the FC Nordsjaelland academy in Denmark, where they have been training with the women’s first team since their birthdays.

However, they will not officially join the squad for matches until WAFCON has finished.

Davis made no secret of her enthusiasm when announcing the two signings, in two separate press releases published on the club’s official website a few months apart.

On Safi Ouedraogo, she said:  “We are all extremely proud to be able to officially welcome Safi to our team in 2026. We’ve had the chance to follow her development over the last few years, from her early days as a shy young player coming through the academy to becoming a player recognised throughout the world of football. It’s been wonderful to witness...

“Safi is the latest in a small group of Right to Dream players to turn professional and join FCN; this contract is therefore of great importance to the entire organisation, as she will become a huge source of inspiration for many young girls. We can’t wait to see her in action.”

The same enthusiasm, again via the club’s official website, was expressed regarding Sery Grace Ruth.

“We couldn’t be happier at the prospect of seeing Sery wear the FCN shirt in 2026. We first met her at a training camp in Ghana in 2022, and she has been an integral part of the team ever since. It was therefore only natural to welcome her into our squad as soon as the opportunity arose, ” explained Davis.

“It’s been a pleasure to watch her develop at the academy in Ghana, and the fact that she’s ready to take this step is a clear testament to all the hard work put in by everyone there. We’re confident she’ll make an immediate impact on the team, and we’re all extremely proud of her.”

A tailor-made support programme

Integrating two players trained thousands of kilometres away, in a completely different culture, is no easy feat. The Danish side relies in particular on the expertise of Kylee Parsons, now assistant director of the club’s women’s academy, who lived and worked in Ghana for three years before taking up this role in Denmark. 

Davis added: “She’s been vital to this process, because she understands who they are, where they come from, knows their families, and acts as a link between the two players and the more organisational aspects at a higher level."

This careful approach is necessary to ensure that Safi and Sery are not treated in the same way as any local recruit.

“We’re careful not to treat them in the same way as 18-year-old Scandinavian players, because they come from a different background. They need a different level of support; they have to understand how life works here, whereas Danish players settle in almost immediately.”

This support system has been built up over several years and involves many different people, the sporting director emphasises.

Davis explained: “We, as an organisation, have a real responsibility to ensure they succeed. We have to get things right, which means there are a great many discussions taking place, and this has been going on for years.

"We’ve had working groups with the academy’s management, the technical staff, the pastoral liaison officer in Ghana - liaising with me here, with Kylee here, with our head coach, and our medical teams, who are in constant communication.

"It has really required a great deal of cross-functional collaboration, spanning several years, to ensure this stage goes smoothly.”

Rising stars the club wants to protect

It’s hard not to be impressed by the maturity shown by the two players on the continental stage, given that they had made only three and five international appearances prior to this Africa Cup of Nations and had only worn the Ivorian shirt at youth level: at the U17 World Cup and in the U20 World Cup qualifiers.

Ouedraogo did, however, score the U17 Elephants’ only goal at the World Cup, against South Korea. When asked about their ability to already represent the Ivorian national team at just 18 years of age, in their very first major senior competition, Davis dismissed the idea that it was a surprise.

“Surprise? No. Impressed? Yes. Once again, we’ve been watching them for years, so we’ve already seen the impact they’ve had in training, in matches, even in friendlies. Two years ago, we saw them play against one of Sweden’s top teams when they were only 16, and they were both among the best players on the pitch, if not the very best.

"So today, with a few more years’ understanding of the game under their belts, that impact doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. I think they each lead in their own way, but it’s incredible to see, at their age, the level of footballing knowledge they’ve already acquired.” 

She even offers a brief comparative insight into their tactical maturity: “It’s amusing to see, at times, that Sery realises things around her aren’t working as they should, because she’s very cerebral and understands what the structure of play should be. It’s funny to see that awareness of the game in an 18-year-old player. And with Safi, you can also sense a kind of frustration, but in a slightly different way.”

Since their impressive performances at this tournament, the interest in both players has grown significantly. Davis readily admits that her phone hasn’t stopped ringing over the last few days, though she’s keen not to make too much of this newfound fame.

She remarked: “To be honest, I firmly believe we should let them enjoy their time at FCN. This moment has been years in the making. When you have players who are so young and talented, it’s very easy for everyone, all over the world, to start talking about the next big thing.

"Legally, they’re no longer children - they’re 18 - but they’re young people receiving a huge amount of attention. Sometimes, you have to take them under your wing and protect them from the outside world.”

An unbreakable bond

Both on and off the pitch, the bond between the two Ivorian players is plain to see. Pedros, the Ivory Coast manager, was full of praise for them at the start of the tournament, in comments made to L’Equipe: “Safi is 18; she is the future of Ivorian football alongside Sery Grace Ruth, who is also at Nordsjaelland, a professional club that supports their development. They love to play. They’re care-free and don’t overthink things. We need players like that.”

As a further sign of their close bond, it was Ouedraogo herself who interviewed her teammate for RTI on the sidelines of the competition. It was an opportunity for Sery to compliment her in passing on her free-kick goal against Burkina Faso.

Davis confirms that this close relationship is by no means a coincidence engineered by the club, even though it has greatly facilitated their journey together:  “In English, they say it’s like ‘catching lightning in a bottle'. We’re really very lucky that they’ve arrived at the same time. That said, we can’t ignore the bond they’ve built and the way they’ve been able to rely on one another over all these years.

"Having left home so young and moved to a new country, they’ve always had each other. They’re kind of kindred spirits, those two. It wasn’t necessarily planned from the start that they’d arrive at the same time, but it’s made things much easier for both of them, knowing that they each have someone who understands this very special experience.

"Here in Denmark, when homesickness gets the better of them, they can count on each other for support. They always have someone to speak their own language with. They always have someone to reminisce with. They always have someone who understands the journey they’ve been on to get here. It wasn’t planned from the start, but you can see just how important it is.” 

She does, however, qualify the image of an inseparable duo, as the two players have grown apart as they’ve matured: “I wouldn’t say they’re glued to each other, because they’re a bit older now. I think when they were younger, it was always a package deal. But now that they’re in Denmark, we’re seeing a bit more independence in both of them.

"They’ve opened up; they have their own friendships within the team and their own relationships with the coaching staff.”

Davis also expects to see this individuality become even more pronounced in the coming years, adding:  “I think they’re now reaching the age where they’ll want to forge their own paths, rather than being seen as a united block, and be recognised as two individuals. It’ll be really interesting to see how they’ll do things differently - and they certainly will.”

This bond is also evident in the small gestures observed throughout the matches of this WAFCON - when Sery was substituted, Safi immediately rushed over to greet her; and when Safi suffered a head injury against Tanzania, it was Sery who seemed the most concerned on the bench.

Davis also recounts, with a smile in her voice, the special atmosphere amongst the FCN coaching staff ahead of the match against South Africa, where defender Bongeka Gamede plays – a player whom Safi and Sery particularly admire:  “Our whole team was watching, and it was really fun, because before the match we were joking with them about who was going to win, who was going to manage to stop who.

"It was going to be two against one – how was Bongeka going to handle that? Safi and Sery also look up to Bongeka a great deal, a bit like an older figure who’s been through a similar experience to theirs. It was quite lovely to see them all together, and to see how they got on with one another after the match.”

One thing is certain: even before playing a single professional match, Safi Ouedraogo and Sery Grace Ruth have already become familiar faces in Ivorian football. And in Farum, there’s just one thing we’re waiting for: to see them back on the FCN pitches.

 “We can’t wait any longer. We’re right behind them, and of course, we want them to be as successful as possible at this Africa Cup of Nations. We’re looking forward to them returning to the team. They’re clearly players who make an impact, both on and off the pitch. So once the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is over, we’ll be delighted to welcome them back as soon as they’re ready, ” concludes Davis.

In the meantime, Saturday’s quarter-final clash against Algeria at 19:00 CET looks set to be a further step towards what could be an equally promising European adventure, starting next season in the red shirt of FC Nordsjaelland.