Asisat Oshoala Sets CAF Record With Fifth African Title
- Outsmarts Perpetua Nkwocha, Yaya Toure, Samuel Eto all on four
Super Falcons and Barcelona Femeni striker, Asisat Oshoala became the first player, both men, and women, to win the CAF Player of the Year award five times emerging the winner on Thursday.
Only compatriot Perpetua Nkwocha, Yaya Toure of Cote d’Ivoire, and Samuel Eto of Cameroon have come close with four titles each.
Oshoala easily shook off the challenge from Ajara Nchout Njoya (Cameroon and Inter Milan) and Zambian international Grace Chanda (Zambia and BIIK Kazygurt) to bag the award.
Despite being on the sidelines for a long period due to injury, the 27-year-old was recognized for the role she played in Barcelona’s league title-winning season where he scored 20 goals in 19 league appearances to share the top scorer award with Brazilian Geyse Ferreira, who managed the same number of goals in 27 appearances for Madrid CFF.
She led the charge for a treble – the Spanish Women’s Super Cup, Copa de la Reina, and the Primera Division. However, injury hampered Oshoala’s outing on the international stage.
Impressively, she scored a hat-trick against Real Betis and a double versus Real Sociedad, Valencia, Villarreal, and Real Betis. In the Copa de la Reina, she scored in her only appearance in the tournament against Real Madrid. Her side could have won a quadruple, but Barcelona lost 3-1 to Olympique Lyonnais at the Juventus Stadium in Turin.
Internationally, she contributed little as she did not score a single goal for the Super Falcons in the period under review.
To make things worse, she was ruled out of Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2022 with Nigeria through injury after suffering a medial collateral ligament strain in the West African’s 2-1 defeat to South Africa in Rabat.
She is the fourth Nigerian woman after Mercy Akide (2001), Nkwocha (2004, 2005, 2010 & 2011), and Cynthia Uwak (2006 & 2007) to win the most priced continental football award.
ALL THE WOMEN’S AWARDS
Club of the Year (Women)
Mamelodi Sundowns
Interclub Player of the Year (Women)
Evelyn Badu (Ghana & Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies/Alvaldsnes)
Young Player of the Year (Women)
Evelyn Badu (Ghana & Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies/Alvaldsnes)
Coach of the Year (Women)
Desiree Ellis (South Africa)
