Asisat Lamina Oshoala MON (born 9 October 1994) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish Liga F club Barcelona and the Nigeria women’s national Team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest African female footballers of all time and one of the best in the world, she is one of the most celebrated African female footballers of all time, having won African Women’s Footballer of the Year a record six times.
Asisat previously played for English clubs Arsenal and Liverpool, Chinese club Dailan, and Nigerian clubs Rivers Angels and FC Robo. She won the 2015 FA Women’s Cup with Arsenal; two league championships and a cup title with Dalian; and the 2019–20 Copa de la Reina and 2019–20 Supercopa de España Femenina with Barcelona. She was the first African (and Nigerian) player to score a goal in a UEFA Women’s Champions League final and has helped Barcelona reach the semi-finals three consecutive years, and one final. On 16 May 2021, Asisat became the first African woman to win the UEFA Champions League, after Barcelona defeated Chelsea 4–0 in the finals. The following season, she became the first African woman to win the Primera División’s Pichichi Trophy, and in August 2022 became the first African woman nominated to the Ballon d’Or.
Asisat was the highest goal scorer at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and was named best player at the tournament. She was also named best player and second top goalscorer with the Super Falcons team who won the 2014 African Women’s Championship.
In September 2014, Oshoala was made a Member of the Order of the Niger by President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan. In 2021, she was named in the Forbes 30 Under 30. She is popularly called “Àgba Baller”, which means in her local parlance, “Legendary Footballer”.
In July 2023, after her group stage heroics against Australia in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Oshoala saw a massive increase in her Instagram followership which made her become the first African female footballer to have a million followers on the social media platform.
Asisat Lamina Oshoala MON Private Life
Oshoala recounts that her parents were not supportive when she dropped out of school to pursue a football career.[61] She is a Muslim.[62]
Oshoala launched the Asisat Oshoala Foundation in 2019 focused on empowering girl footballers in Africa. The foundation hosts the annual Asisat Oshoala Foundation Football4girls tournament in Lagos. She is a NIKE Ambassador. In 2021, she was named to Forbes 30 Under 30.[9] In October 2021, she was appointed unto FIFA’s technical advisory group on the growth and advancement of women’s football. The grouped is headed by Jill Ellis and has fellow African Doreen Nabwire also as a member.
Asisat Lamina Oshoala MON Style of play
Oshoala found success as a forward for Nigeria’s youth teams but made most of her early appearances for the senior national team as an attacking midfielder. She was nicknamed “Seedorf” after male footballer Clarence Seedorf and has also been referred to as “Superzee” by her teammates.
Asisat Lamina Oshoala MON Honours
Rivers Angels
Nigerian Women’s Championship: 2014
Nigerian Women’s Cup: 2013, 2014
Arsenal
FA Women’s Cup: 2015–16
Dalian Quanjian
Chinese Women’s Super League: 2017 2018
FC Barcelona
Primera División: 2019–20,[16] 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
UEFA Women’s Champions League: 2020–21, 2022–23
Supercopa de España Femenina: 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23
Copa de la Reina: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
Nigeria
African Women’s Championship: 2014, 2016, 2018
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup runner-up: 2014
Individual
BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year: 2015
African Women’s Footballer of the Year: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 2023
African Women’s Youth Player of the Year: 2014
African Women’s Championship Golden Ball: 2014
African Women’s Championship Golden Boot: 2016
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Golden Boot: 2014
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Golden Ball: 2014
Primera División Top scorer: 2021–22
Chinese Women’s Super League Top scorer: 2017
IFFHS CAF Best Woman Player of the Decade 2011–2020
IFFHS All-time Africa Women’s Dream Team: 2021
IFFHS CAF Women’s Team of the Decade 2011–2020
Queen of The Pitch Award: 2014
