LEICESTER/LUSAKA – In a stunning display of teenage brilliance, 15-year-old Aston Villa youth midfielder Jessica Choolwe Johnson has become the inspirational heartbeat of Zambia’s Copper Princesses, powering them to consecutive FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifications while simultaneously preparing for her GCSE exams at Kibworth Mead Academy in Leicester.
The Ultimate Student-Athlete
The Zambian-born, UK-based wonderkid has mastered an extraordinary balancing act – training with Aston Villa’s elite academy, starring in crucial World Cup qualifiers across Africa, and hitting the books between matches.
“When I’m on the pitch, I play for my country. When I’m in class, I’m fighting for my future,” Johnson told reporters during a study break. “Football taught me discipline – the same focus that helps me track a through ball helps me solve math equations.”
National Team Heroics
Johnson’s midfield mastery has been instrumental in Zambia’s historic back-to-back World Cup qualifications, earning effusive praise from Copper Princesses captain Mercy Chipasula:
“Jess isn’t just our future – she’s our present. At 15, she plays with the composure of a veteran while carrying the dreams of a nation. And she’s doing homework in hotel rooms between matches!”
A Transcontinental Talent
The teen phenom embodies Zambia’s football renaissance while benefiting from England’s elite academy system. Scouts predict she could follow in the footsteps of Barbra Banda, Zambia’s global superstar.
As Johnson prepares for both the World Cup and her final exams, her story has become a viral sensation – proof that with talent, tenacity and time management, young athletes don’t have to choose between education and elite sports.
Next Stop: The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup – and possibly straight to a physics exam afterward.
