Asisat Lamina Oshoala MON is a Nigerian professional footballer. She plays as a striker and is the captain of the Nigerian women’s national team, in addition to playing for FC Barcelona Femen in the Primera División. She is the most decorated African female footballer in history and a co-record four-time African Women’s Footballer of the Year. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest African female footballers of all time and one of the best in the world.
Biography
She was born on October 9, 1994, and first took up football in high school. Asisat Oshoala’s parents initially expressed outrage at their daughter’s interest in athletics because she was raised in a Muslim family. She stated that the only person who supported her passion was her late grandmother. She had her primary and secondary education at the Airforce primary school and the Aunty Ayo International School in Lagos State.
Career
She began her career at the Nigerian lower division team, FC Robo right after completing her secondary education. She played there from 2009 to 2013 before transferring to Rivers Angels.
She was the top scorer with seven goals when she represented Nigeria at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada. She was handed the Player of the Tournament award. Her effort guided Nigeria to a second-place finish in the competition.
Oshoala joined Liverpool on January 23, 2015, in the Women’s Super League of England. She was referred to as “one of the best young players in the world” by the club’s manager, Matt Beard. Although there were rumours that she was interested in other teams, she was thrilled to join Liverpool. She was the first athlete from an African country to play in England’s elite women’s league.
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Oshoala scored three goals in the nine games she played as defending champions Liverpool finished in the eighth position after missing two months of the 2015 season due to a knee injury. On April 1, she scored her first goal of the year to help her team defeat Birmingham City 2-1. She scored the first goal in the team’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City. She also scored the team’s third goal to record a 3-1 victory against Arsenal.
Oshoala joined Arsenal in March 2016. “Asisat is a terrific talent and will be a great addition to our group,” Arsenal manager Pedro Losa, who spoke highly of her signing, said.
On May 14, 2016, Oshoala assisted Arsenal in winning the FA Women’s Cup. The victory was the club’s 14th championship. During the 2016 campaign, Oshoala made 13 appearances for the team and registered two goals. On August 28, she scored the game-winning goal in a 2-0 victory over Notts County. Arsenal had a 16-4-2 record to place third.
Oshoala signed a contract with Chinese club Dalian Quanjian on February 10. She scored 12 goals in the 2017 campaign, which helped the team win the league title. She received the league’s Golden Boot title for scoring the most goals. She contributed four goals to the club’s 5-3 victory over Shanghai in the 2017 Women’s Super Cup, helping them win the title. She contributed to the club’s second consecutive league triumph in October 2018.
She was hired by FC Barcelona Femen, a Spanish team, on loan for the end of the campaign on January 31. Barcelona announced her official move to the club and extended it until 2022 on May 31, 2019. During the 2018–19 season, she made seven appearances for the team and netted seven goals. With a record of 25-2-3, Barcelona placed second throughout the regular season.
In the 2019 UEFA Women’s Champions League Final, Lyon defeated Barcelona 4-1, with Asisat Oshoala scoring Barcelona’s lone goal. She scored the first goal in a Champions League Final by an African (and Nigerian).
Oshoala made 19 appearances for Barcelona in the 2019–20 season, scoring 20 goals. On September 19, 2019, she surpassed Atlético Madrid with a pair of goals, marking the start of her 2019–20 campaign. In October, she helped Barcelona to a 4-0 victory over Madrid with a second brace. Oshoala scored four goals in a 6-0 victory over CD Tacon on January 11, 2020.
Oshoala’s first goal at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup came on June 8 in Winnipeg during the team’s second goal in a 3-3 tie with Sweden. The team did not proceed to the knockout rounds after losses to Australia (2-0) and the United States (1-0).
She was a member of the Super Falcons team that won the African Women’s Championship in 2016 and 2018. She bagged three goals in the 2018 edition in Ghana.
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Clubs
In addition to being the captain of the Nigerian women’s team, the Super Falcons, she is also currently playing for Barcelona FC. Her contract with the team started in 2019 and ends in 2024.
Achievements
With seven goals, Oshoala led all goal scorers in the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and was awarded the tournament’s best player. She was also voted the Super Falcons’ best player and second-leading scorer during the 2014 African Women’s Championship. She also won the 2015 BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year.
Oshoala received the Order of the Niger designation in September 2014 from Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. She is an ambassador for the sports equipment manufacturer, Nike. She was named on the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2021. She was named to FIFA’s technical advisory panel on the development and progress of women’s football in October 2021.
Some of her awards include:
- Nigeria Women’s Championship, 2014.
- Nigerian Women’s Cup, 2013, 2104.
- UEFA Women’s Champions League, 2020-2021.
- Supacopa de Espana Femenina,2019-2020, 2021-2022.
- Queen of the Pitch Award, 2014.
- African Women’s Footballer of the Year, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019.
- FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Golden Boot, 2014.
- FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Golden Ball, 2014.
Family
Asisat Oshoala is not married. She has a daughter, although the father’s identity is not disclosed. Regarding her dating life, there were rumours that she was dating Abu Azeez from the Shooting Stars Football Club. The football player did not, however, confirm or deny the rumors.
Philanthropy
Throughout 2019, Oshoala established the Asisat Oshoala Foundation to empower female football players in Africa. The organisation organises the Asisat Oshoala Foundation Football4girls competition every year in Lagos.
Net worth
Asisat Oshoala is currently the wealthiest female football player in Nigeria and one of the richest on the continent, with an estimated net worth of approximately N1.25 billion ($3m), according to several web sources.
Her illustrious football career, which has lasted for more than ten years, and endorsement partnerships with prestigious companies like Emzor, a distributor of pharmaceuticals, and Nike, a sportswear company, are the main sources of her fortune.
Conclusion
Oshoala had success playing for Nigeria’s youth teams but she began her senior national team career as an offensive midfielder. She was given the moniker Seedorf in honour of the male football player Clarence Seedorf, and her teammates have also called her Superzee.
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