Asisat Oshoala is a name that, for many Barcelona fans, was only learned in early 2019. Not many know that Oshoala boasts a record four African Women's Footballer of the year titles. Not many know that she became a Member of the Order of Niger at just 19 years old after her outstanding display at the 2014 U20 Women's World Cup. Many aren't aware of her numerous team and individual achievements and successes for all levels of club and country across three continents. Now, on top of the world with Barcelona and Nigeria, Asisat Oshoala is known everywhere to football fans as one of the best center-forwards on the planet. Since arriving in January 2019, Oshoala has fit into Barca style well, and has since been consistent and clinical in scoring goals whenever needed.
Profile:
Full name: Asisat Lamina Oshoala
Date of birth: 9 October 1994
Place of birth: Ikorodu, Nigeria
Height: 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position: Attacker/Forward
Early Career:
When Super Falcons striker Asisat Oshoala was a young girl growing up in Nigeria, her mother wouldn't give her money for food if she had been playing football on the streets with the boys. Despite the adversity she faced as a female footballer, her talents gave her a ridiculously high chance to become a professional footballer. There was no real precedent for Oshoala to follow and no homegrown hero in the women's game, perhaps with the exception of Nigerian women's national team top scorer and legend Perpetua Nkwocha. Oshoala set her sights on football and left her home to become a professional footballer at an early age.
She said the following in an interview to ESPN:
"I actually stopped going to school because at some point I had a lot of problems with my parents. They wanted me to go to school but I had the unique opportunity to play in another city for a professional team in Nigeria. I had to leave my city for another city which meant, automatically, I had to leave my school and stop. So I had to make that sacrifice at that time. I told my parents: 'OK, I can always come back but this is an opportunity that I can't turn down. Maybe it was a 50 percent chance to progress in football. So, I moved on my own. For me, it was about taking the opportunity at the right time and I did not regret it."
Oshoala around the world:
Oshoala first played for FC Robo and Rivers Angels, two clubs in her home country. She earned the Best Player award at both the U20 Women's World Cup and AFCON in 2014, and these accomplishments didn't go unnoticed by big clubs abroad. In January 2015, she joined a Liverpool Ladies side fresh off the 2014 WSL title. Then-manager Matt Beard toted her as "one of the best young players in the world". She had some brief setbacks when she missed two months of her first season with a knee injury as the Liverpool side plagued with injuries dropped to seventh place out of eight teams.
Due to her talents, age, and the fact that she was ready to move on from seventh place, Arsenal activated the release clause in Oshoala's contract and she joined the London club for the 2016–2017 season. She won the Women's FA Cup with Arsenal during her time there. Her spell in London was short-lived as Chinese club Dalian Quanjian F.C. officially signed Oshoala in February 2017, taking her to Chinese Women's Super League after a year and a half in England. She played in China for two more years winning the Chinese league title in 2017.
A culer since 2019:
On 31 January 2019, Barcelona signed Oshoala on a loan deal until the end of the season. She scored her first league goal against Rayo and a month later scored in the attendance record-breaking match against Atleti at the Wanda Metropolitano. Not soon after in May she yet again made history for both club and country by becoming both the first-ever Barcelona Femeni player and African player to ever score in a UEFA Women's Champions League Final, as well as being the first Nigerian to score in any UEFA Champions League final, men's or women's.
She spends a lot of her free time in her apartment from Barca's out-of-city training ground watching whatever football is on television. Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, and Luis Suarez rank among her favorite players. She admires Suarez a lot because she has the task of mirroring his role in Barca's Femeni's side. She's meticulous when it comes to details and doesn't take any decision lightly. In fact, before agreeing to move to Catalonia, she watched over 20 videos of old Barca games to see if she would fit into the side. is a testament to her footballing wisdom.
Due to her technical qualities and her hard work, Barcelona announced Oshoala's full transfer to the club and extension until 2022.
Technical Profile:
On the international side, it's almost no debate that Oshoala is the best African women's player in the world. She's striker has been chosen as African Player of the Year on no less than four occasions (2019, 2014, 2016 and 2017). The year 2014 was a stellar one for the Nigerian as she also claimed the Golden Ball at both that year's U20 World Cup and that year's Women's AFCON. Oshoala has extensive experience in all facets of football despite her relative youth.
Season So Far with Barcelona:
Oshoala is a contender for the Golden Boot award this season, as she has amassed a staggering 20 goals so far in the league, a title challenged only by teammate Jenni Hermoso. The stand out match from her season is the 4 goals she scored against soon-to-be Real Madrid Women (Tacon). She has already won the Copa Catalunya and Spanish Supercopa Feminino with Barca with her goal against Atletico in the semifinal proving to be the match-winner. Her partnership with attacking wingers Lieke Martens and Caroline Graham Hansen didn't go unnoticed as they keep plunging goal after goal
Techincal Traits:
The Poacher:
She is the simplest and the and the most deadly player in the box. She rarely involves the creative buildup of the goals but is constantly roaming around the box, right next to the defenders, waiting for a chance to finish moves. She can also run at defenders, closing them down to get the ball or chase long passes or through balls from the midfield or defense. She is known for her finishing ability and movement off the ball. Good dribbling and first touch are an added advantage for her.
When playing as an advanced forward, she still remains the focal point of the team’s attacking moves. She can also chase down balls from the midfield or deep but is equally adept at laying off or crossing to her teammates. She has a good movement without the ball as well as dribbling along with decent passing and vision.
The Target Woman for Barcelona:
She uses her physical presence (height and strength) to challenge the opposition defenders for the ball (especially aerial duels,) hold up the ball and then lay it off for her strike partner (Jennifer Hermoso) or the attacking midfielders like Martens. At times, she lacks a lot of technical ability especially with her first touches, and has a tendency to foul and/or be caught offside.
Sandra Panos about Asisat Oshoala:
Asisat has physical qualities that are very rare to find in a player. Her speed may resemble that of a boy, but she is an exception.
Asisat Oshoala Foundation:
Oshoala is a role model in paving the way for future generations. She set up the Asisat Oshoala Foundation in 2019 to help young girls in Africa to pursue their footballing dreams and give them opportunities she never had.
She paid the school fees and other necessities for the young girls in her country. In 2019, Barcelona and Asisat Oshoala signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the official licensee of Barca's Academy in Lagos, Nigeria. She also hosted the Football4girls tournament in Lagos in December with the intention of improving game time and exposure for young players.
Oshoala on why she started the foundation:
It’s all based on a very personal experience, I know how difficult it is to pursue an interest in playing in football teams and getting into sports in general when your parents say no. It’s so easy to give up. There are a lot of girls who did stop, and who had so much potential to become professionals. I just wanted to share my story with parents, so that maybe they might change their minds or their reasoning. It’s important for young athletes to have the support of their parents and their close network. I want everyone to be able to imagine education and football together – complementing one another.
We hope through her own status that she can continue to inspire female players in Africa to follow in her footsteps and pursue careers in football.
Nike advertised about her foundation here.
Conclusion:
If Oshoala can fine-tune her technical skills, stay fit for the coming seasons, and continue her record-breaking performances for both club and country, she is guaranteed to be a contender for the Ballon d'Or award. In this rich vein of form, there is not a defender in the world to stop her from scoring goals. If Oshoala and her teammates can stay fit and produce the same kind of displays week in and week out, they are going to continually breaking new barriers seen never before in Spanish football and become one of the greatest teams on the planet.