Maymi Asgari
A Brilliant Footballer & A Heartfelt Motivational Advocate
By Sara Hammoud
A woman who walked among her childhood heroes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, and other football legends, to receive a Globe Soccer Award in 2023. A year later, she was honored again as one of the Nordic Pioneers 2024, recognizing her influence beyond the field. A woman who turned hardship into hope, using her voice to inspire others to embrace their identity fearlessly.
This is Maymi Asgari, an Iranian-born, Denmark-raised footballer and motivational speaker who has become a symbol of resilience, empowerment, and representation for young girls around the world.
Growing up, Asgari faced the kind of challenges that could have easily discouraged her. She was often singled out for being different, for the way she looked, dressed, or believed. Yet football became her language of strength. “I started playing because I wanted to prove to the boys in my neighborhood that being a girl wasn’t an obstacle,” she said.
Coming from an athletic family, her father practiced Taekwondo, and her mother played volleyball, she found encouragement to follow her own path, even if it meant breaking barriers. “I didn’t wear a hijab back then, but I still had black hair, brown eyes, I didn’t have the blonde hair, blue eyes my teammates did, so I was very insecure,” she recalled. “At ten, when I started wearing the hijab, it became even worse. I had to wear extra layers under my uniform, so even my clothing didn’t look like my friends’ anymore.”
On overcoming racism and bullying
Asgari emphasizes she had good times as well as great opportunities, “I also had a lot of positive experiences back home”. It was a minority group of people who had certain dismissive feelings towards Muslim people, but their negative effect sure is high.
Growing up feeling left out and being pointed at is something no child should bear. But not until she hit her late teen years that Asgari understood what she was facing, “Yeah, well, as a child, I didn’t quite understand it was racism. I just felt different, and I didn’t know the reason”. When asked about how she managed to overcome the barriers and face discrimination as a child, Asgari said: “I enjoyed the sport. I love the whole team spirit, and I think the feeling of success and being good at something else than just school and normal things, just made me feel more confident”.
As for what keeps her motivated now, “I want to prove to the young version of myself that I don’t need to fit into the boxes society has created, I can be covered and still achieve things that they haven’t. And even though sometimes it can really suck when they attack you on social media, in the end, I know I’m doing a good thing.”
On why she moved to the UAE
Asgari has been in the UAE for 9 months now. “I want to try to live in a place where my background, my hijab, and my religion are not going to be a barrier, because I’m tired of the same fights all over again”. The future is a big concern for her, Asgari shares: “I want my children also to be raised in a Muslim country”, as she doesn’t want her children to grow up in the same shadows she had to grow up in. “So, that was probably one of the biggest reasons.”
When asked if she’d faced any issues here, Asgari said, “No, here I haven’t faced any judgment or barriers as a hijabi athlete, it’s so normal, you see different kinds of hijabis everywhere doing different kinds of sports, and it’s amazing.”
On the mindset of European nationals living in Dubai
Asghari believes that those who choose to move to Dubai are often people who value openness and multiculturalism. “The people who come here are usually the ones who are curious and accepting of different cultures,” she said. Over time, she’s seen how the city’s growth and progress have helped reshape old misconceptions about the Middle East, especially regarding women’s roles. “When people visit or live here, they see that women are leading, playing sports, and living normal, ambitious lives, it changes their perspective completely.”
She added that even some of her European friends who now live in Dubai experience this shift firsthand. “The Danish ask the Danish now, they get the same questions I used to get, like, ‘Can women drive in the UAE?’ or ‘Can women play football there?’ It’s interesting, because now they’re the ones explaining how much the region has progressed and how different reality actually is.”
She believes in the importance of multiculturalism and a tolerant, inclusive society. Although people in Europe once held misconceptions about the Middle East, the rapid development of Dubai and the wider GCC region has dispelled many of these myths, particularly regarding women’s progress. Today, perceptions have changed significantly.
On enhancing the visibility of women’s football in the region
Slowly but surely, women’s sports are gaining better recognition all over the world, and Asgari pushes towards: “Female coaches. Education. Representation. Visibility.”
For Asgari, progress in women’s sports starts with education and visibility. “If you don’t see it, you’re not going to be it,” she said, explaining how the lack of female representation in football made it hard for her to imagine herself playing. From a young age, girls are often steered away from sports like football, while boys dominate the field. “Even in PE, the boys are playing football and the girls are doing something else,” she noted. “If we want to change this idea of what’s a boys’ or girls’ sport, everyone needs to take part in both.”
She believes that empowering more female coaches is essential to that change. “For girls, having a woman coach is just different,” she said. “We understand each other and know how our bodies work.” To her, education and female mentorship go hand in hand in creating an environment where girls can thrive and see themselves belonging in the game.
On the responsibility of being a mentor and role model
Asgari’s journey is just beginning, as she continues to push for a more equal world for Muslim and underrepresented girls in football. Reflecting on her role as a mentor, she said, “It’s very fulfilling. I always try to share my story authentically, showing that it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. There are days when it’s tough, and you feel alone.”
Yet, it’s in those moments that she finds strength and helps others find theirs, too. “The feedback I get is that they feel inspired, more confident, and ready to stand up to the haters,” she said. “Even though I get a lot of hate, it doesn’t define who I am or stop me from doing what I love. It just makes the journey tougher, but also more rewarding.”
Through her story, Maymi continues to prove that faith and football can coexist. “I can wear the hijab,” she said proudly. “I don’t need to choose between my religion and my sport.”
