Khalida Popal

BBC News: Kicking a ball around the schoolyard has been a right of passage for children all over the world, but for former Afghanistan women’s captain Khalida Popal, playing football nearly cost her her life. “It was really dangerous, I can’t forget that time or that moment, where I felt I may no longer be alive. It was the moment I became the leader of women’s football in Afghanistan. My voice was stronger and stronger and I changed the nation, from just playing football to talking about women’s rights and issues women are facing in the country. Click here to read more (external link).