After winning the 2017 African Women’s Player of the Year, Oshoala is back where she started. After winning the 2017 African Women’s Player of the Year award, Asisat Oshoala took her award to her place of the start of her football career Mushin. Oshoala was on Thursday, January 5 named the best African Women’s Player of the year at the CAF Awards that held in Accra, Ghana. Still in touch with her roots, the 23-year-old returned to Mushin where she started as a footballer to show off and celebrate with her people. ‘My Team’ she captioned the photo of her visit to Mushin which she posted on her Instagram.Early lifeAlthough she was born and brought up in the Ikorodu suburb of Lagos, Oshoala’s early football education was at Mushin.The football star attended Air Force Primary School in Victoria Island before she moved to Aunty Ayo International school in Ikoyi. According to a Primary School classmate, Oshoala was always good at sports. “She was a very athletic girl and also rough because she was always involved in sports,” the classmate who chose to be anonymous told Pulse Sports. “She hardly rolled with the girls, it was always with the boys.”She kicked off her career at a local club in Mushin called FC Robo before her move to Rivers Angels where she broke out as the best player in the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL). She led Rivers Angels to the Women’s Federations Cup title in 2013 and the next year to the league and cup double. International careerHer good form earned her a place with the Falconets at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. It was at Canada in 2014 that Oshoala announced herself on the big stage, scoring seven goals to lead Nigeria to the final where they lost to Germany. She finished as the top scorer and was named the best player of the tournament. Since then, the forward has been without a doubt the face of Nigerian football. She has gone on to win two African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) title with the Super Falcons. Club careerShe moved to Liverpool Ladies in 2013 and impressed before sealing a move to Arsenal Ladies in 2016. In just one season with Arsenal Ladies, she won the FA Women’s Cup before she making a move to China to join Dalian Quanjian FC. In debut season in China, the Nigeria international was voted the best striker in the Chinese Women’s Super League after helping Dalian Quanjian FC to a league and Chinese Women’s Super Cup double. Oshoala scored 12 league goals as they won the title and also she netted a brace as Dalian Quanjian FC beat Shanghai 5-3 to win the Chinese Women’s Super Cup in November 2017.It was a performance that justified her move to China while many counted her out. “They said my career was finished when I left Arsenal for China, but here I am tonight. This award is for every young African girl, don’t let them tell you that you can’t do it,” Oshoala said in tears while receiving her award at the CAF Awards. Where she ranks among Nigerian women football greatsNigerian women football have had some elite talents, with the likes of Mercy Akide, Perpetua Nkwocha and Cynthia Uwak. But where does Oshoala rank among them? At just the age of 23, Oshoala has time to catch up with the likes of Akide, Nwokocha and Uwak and with her pace, she is on course to becoming the greatest Nigerian women’s player. Unarguably the best of the first generation of Nigerian women’s players, Akide won three AWCON titles with the Super Falcons and played in three FIFA Women’s World Cup. ALSO READ: Perpetua Nwokocha was appointed coach of Super FalconsShe was the star of the Super Falcons at the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup where Nigeria reached the quarter-finals, the first and only time. Oshoala has only played in one world cup tournament, scoring just one goal as Nigeria crashed out in the group stage after two losses. Nwokocha who is the star of the generation after Akide was named African Women’s Player of the Year a record four times and won five AWCON titles. Oshoala is sure on her way after two AWCON titles and three African Women Player of the Year awards.Along with Uwak, Oshoala has won more club trophies than Akide and Nwokocha.Oshoala is already the greatest player of the third generation of Nigerian women players it’s only a matter of time before she is considered the G.O.A.T.
