Super Falcons and Barcelona Femeni striker, Asisat Oshoala, has been crowned the 2022 African Women’s Footballer of the Year award on Thursday.
The Nigerian became the first player to be named Confederation of African Football’s Women’s Player of the Year five times at a ceremony in Rabat, Morocco.
Oshoala who was the only Nigerian nominee at the 2022 CAF awards beat Grace Chanda (Zambia/BIIK Kazygurt) and Ajara Nchout Njoya (Cameroon/Inter Milan).
The former Liverpool and Arsenal star equalled Falcons legend, Perpetua Nkwocha’s fourth CAF Women’s Player of the Year Award at the 2019 Awards Gala.
Despite being injury-laden for a large part of last season (three months), Oshoala finished top scorer in the Liga Iberdrola with 20 goals in 19 appearances to become the first African to win the Pichichi award in Spain.
Her Barcelona team also achieved the incredible feat of winning all 30 league games in their domestic division with Oshoala’s Golden Boot-winning goals contributing largely to the feat.
Although Barcelona Femeni fell to defeat in the Champions League final, Oshoala scored in the 4-0 win against Real Madrid to qualify for the final of the Spanish Cup, which they won to complete the domestic treble after winning the Supercopa.
Based on club form, Oshoala stands head and shoulders apart from other competitors Chanda and Njoya but has had a chaotic time with the national team.
She was not part of the Falcons’ qualifying campaign for the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, while at the maiden edition of the Aisha Buhari Cup last year, she was unable to replicate her club form in the green and white.
Oshoala bowed out early from the WAFCON in Morocco after suffering an ankle injury in the opening day 2-1 defeat to Banyana.
