Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah’s boots have carried her across the cracked parks of Liverpool, the roar of WSL crowds in Merseyside, and now the blazing stadiums of Morocco’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
But more than miles, they’ve carried a truth stitched together with bandages and stubborn hope; unfinished dreams can find new life when you refuse to quit.
Born to a Ghanaian mother in the football-mad heart of Liverpool, Chantelle grew up juggling two worlds.
There were Sunday roasts and red scarves by the Mersey, but always the steady drumbeat of her roots; fufu on the dinner table, stories of Accra, her mum reminding her of where she came from.
By 18, she’d carved out a name for herself as Everton’s academy starlet, then a rising Lioness for England’s U19 and U23 teams.
Wembley finals danced in her head. But behind closed doors, hospital lights replaced stadium floodlights. Years vanished in operating theatres.
“I’ve done three ACL injuries, I’ve had five knee operations. I feel like I’m around 24 years old because I’ve left a lot of years behind. So, I’ve got lots of unfinished football,” she told 3Sports.
She missed call-ups. She missed glory nights. She missed being seen. But when the Lionesses faded from reach, a different door cracked open, one carrying the heartbeat of the continent that raised her family.
Former Black Queens coach, Nora Hauptle, knocked first. The moment Ghana came calling, the decision was already made.
“When Ghana made contact, I went to my mum straight away. She didn’t even hesitate, she was like ‘go and play,” she added.
But it took until April 2025 for her maiden call-up to land. In her first runout against Senegal, she put on the gold and black for the motherland.
By her next game, she’d scored her debut goal against Côte d’Ivoire, proof to herself that the knees, the scars, the lost years hadn’t won.
Now, at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Chantelle isn’t watching from the sidelines.
She’s bossing Ghana’s midfield, voted Woman of the Match in a must-win clash with Tanzania, where she scored a stunning curler to help push the Black Queens into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2016.
“I’m here now, I’m at the WAFCON, I’m playing for Ghana. We just got into the quarterfinal. I’ve helped my team get promoted to the Women’s Super League,” she further stated.
She still carries that Merseyside grit. But on these African pitches, she’s a bridge between the girl who dreamed in Liverpool and the woman now fighting for glory.
As the knockout rounds loom, Chantelle’s mission is clear; this is about more than a personal comeback – it’s about giving her country something bigger to celebrate.
“This tournament will only be successful for me when we take the trophy. I think we deserve it. I think we deserve the respect from African football,” she told JoySports.
Three ACL tears. Five surgeries. But Boye-Hlorkah knows that as she helps steer the Black Queens deep into WAFCON, every scar on her knees built this moment.
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