leeds united female team signing next summer Asisat Oshoala € 300 million …
Asisat Lamina Oshoala MON (born 9 October 1994) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for NWSL club Bay FC and the Nigeria women’s national team.[3] Widely regarded as one of the greatest African female footballers of all time and one of the best in the world,[4][5] 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.[6][7]
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 player to score a goal in a UEFA Women’s Champions League final and has helped Barcelona reach the semi-finals for 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.[8] 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 the best player at the tournament. She was also named best player and second top goal scorer 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.[9] 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.[10] Asisat Oshoala, has earned a well-deserved nomination for the esteemed 2023 Ballon d’Or Award[11]
France Football, the official organizer of the award, disclosed this exciting news through its verified Twitter account on July 7.
Oshoala stands as a nominee in the Socrates Award category, a recognition dedicated to applauding remarkable solidarity initiatives undertaken by football champions. Among the five exceptional individuals chosen for the award, Oshoala nomination adds to her impressive achievements, aligning her with the legacy of the iconic Brazilian footballer, Socrates, for whom the award is named after and was inaugurated just last year.[12]
Club career[edit]
Liverpool: 2015–2016[edit]
On 23 January 2015, Oshoala joined Liverpool in England’s Women’s Super League. The club’s manager, Matt Beard, called her “one of the best young players in the world”.[13] Although rumours had linked her with other clubs, she was very happy to join Liverpool.[14] She was the first player from an African nation to compete in the top women’s league in England.[15]
Despite missing two months of the 2015 season with a knee injury,[16] Oshoala scored three goals in the nine games in which she played as defending champions Liverpool finished in seventh place.[17] Her first goal of the season was the game-opener of a 2–1 win against Birmingham City on April 1.[18] During the club’s 2–1 win over Manchester City, she scored the game-opening goal in the tenth minute.[19] She scored the club’s third goal of a 3–1 win against Arsenal on 12 July.[20][21]
In January 2016, Liverpool reported that a transfer bid from Arsenal had activated the release clause in Oshoala’s contract and that she was discussing personal terms with the London club.[22][23]
Arsenal: 2016–2017[edit]
In March 2016, Oshoala signed with Arsenal.[24] Arsenal manager, Pedro Losa said of her signing, “Asisat is a fantastic talent and will be a great addition to our squad. She is quick, with excellent feet and has proven she can score goals so it’s very positive she has decided to join us.”[24]
Oshoala helped Arsenal win the 2016 FA Women’s Cup Final on 14 May.[25] The win marked the club’s 14th title.[26] Oshoala made 13 appearances for the club during the 2016 season and scored two goals.[18] She scored the game-winning goal in the 2–0 win against Notts County on 28 August.[27] Arsenal finished in third place with a 16–4–2 record.[28]
Dalian Quanjian: 2017–2019[edit]
On 10 February 2017, Oshoala signed with Chinese club Dalian (大连女子足球俱乐部).[29] During the 2017 season, she scored 12 goals helping Dalian Quanjian win the league championship. She was awarded the league’s Golden Boot award for most goals scored.[30] The same year, she scored four goals during the 2017 Women’s Super Cup and helped the club defeat Shanghai 5–3 to win the championship.[30] In October 2018, she helped the club win the league championship for the second consecutive year.[31]
FC Barcelona: 2019–2024[edit]
On 31 January 2019, Spanish club FC Barcelona Femení signed Oshoala on a loan deal until the end of the season.[32] On May 31, 2019, Barcelona announced her full transfer to the club and extension until 2022.[33] She scored seven goals in her seven appearances for the club during the 2018-19 season.[18] Barcelona finished in second place during the regular season with a 25–2–3 record.[34]
