WWC 2015 PROFILE: Asisat Oshoala
- Ann Odong
- Jun 1, 2015
- 1 min read
It wasn’t that long ago that the name Asisat Oshoala was not in the wom-en’s football lexicon.
Several continents had a name that was synonymous with it; Homare Sawa for Asia, Marta for South America, Alex Morgan (North Amer-ica) and Europe, well you could pick a number of names from Schelin to Keßler, Boquete or Necib. But for Africa, it was a struggle.
Fast forward to May 2015 and the African game has its face in the figure of a 5’ 10, still coltish looking 20-year-old. On the men’s side of the game, African football has had its share of superstars. But it’s hard to remember if there has ever been a player from the women’s game cut through as Asisat Oshoala has.
As the giant on the continent, Nigeria has produced legendary figures of African football. Florence Omagbemi was an as-sertive and skilled defender who captained Nigeria to a quarterfinal appearance at the 1999 World Cup, still their best result to date.
Acrobatic goalkeeper Ann Chiejine and “Marvellous” Mercy Akide are still revered today. Oshoala herself is playing alongside a legend of the game in Perpetua Nkwocha, arguably the best player to come out of Africa.
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Originally written for The Women’s Game x Equalizer Soccer 2015 WWC Guide
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