We are pleased to introduce our Personality of the Month.
Men and Women who have distinguished themselves in their field of endeavour, impacting society and inspiring many.
Individuals who have overcome challenges, broken barriers, with hardwork and deep dedication make their lives meaningful to themselves and others.
Our Monthly Personalities will be drawn from various works of life irrespective of Creed, Gender, Race, Social Status, Ethnicity and from anywhere in the world.
We are delighted to introduce our Maiden Sahel Standard Personality of the Month.
Asisat Lamina Oshoala.
We salute this extraordinary trail blazer for her hard work, dedication and brilliance in women’s football. Her amazing performances has brought joy, inspiration, and shone light in the midst of despair in the land. She inspire not just young girls and women but many around the world to pursue their dreams. We thank this outstanding Nigerian for putting Nigeria on the world map.
PROFILE
Asisat Lamina Oshoala (MON) was born 9 October 1994 in Ikorodu, Lagos state.
She plays professional football as a Striker for Primeera División club FC Barcelona Femeni which she joined in January 2019, and the Nigerian Women’s National Team, the Super Falcons. Widely regarded as one of the greatest African female footballers of all time and one of the best in the world, she is the most decorated African female footballer of all time, and a record six – time African Women’s Footballer of the Year and recently becoming the first African Female Footballer to be nominated for the Ballon d’or Awards.
Asisat started her career at Nigerian lower division side FC Robo before moving up a league to join Rivers Angels in 2013 where she spent two years. In 2015, she became the first female African to play in the English top-flight when she signed for Liverpool and later joined Arsenal in March 2016. She also played for Chinese club Dailian where she was top scorer in the 2017 Super League.
Oshoala was the highest goal scorer at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and was named Best Player at the tournament winning the Adidas Golden Boot and Golden Ball with her stunning display.
She was also named Best Player at the 2014 African Women’s Championship which was won by the Super Falcons. In recognition of her outstanding performances, the sensational striker was made a Member of the Order of the Niger(MON) by the Government of Nigeria that same year.
She won the BBC female footballer of the year award in 2015 after an impressive debut season in England’s Women Super League. She won the Golden Boot of the 2016 African Women’s Championship. In 2020 she was named in the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 Influential Persons of the Year, the only sports woman selected. She played a key role in FC Barcelona’s treble trophies in the 2021-22 season, and despite missing a couple of matches due to injury, she emerged league joint –top scorer with 20 goals in 12 starts in 19 league appearances, with that winning the Spanish Primiera Iberdrola Golden Boot, the first African woman to do so.
In the 2022/23 season, Oshoala was Barcelona Femeni’s top scorer with a total of 26 goals. 21 goals in the 2022–2023 Primera Division Femenina season and 5 goals in the 2022–2023 UEFA Women’s Champions League. With her incredible goal-scoring ability, the Striker after just four seasons established herself as one of the best goal-scorers in Barcelona history, netting in more than 100 goals, helping Barca dominate the domestic scene and winning the UEFA’S Women Champion League in 2020/21 and 22/23.
At the Women’s World Cup in Australia & New Zealand 2023, Oshoala became the first African player to net goals at three Women’s World Cup finals.
In 2021, she was named in a 21-member FIFA Technical Advisory Group on women’s football which aim to discuss topics surrounding the women’s game, including competitive balance, a FIFA Women’s Club World Cup and increased visibility and participation.
She founded the Asisat
Oshoala Foundation in 2015 which is a non-governmental, nonprofit organisation in partnership with Nike Inc. USA and Women Win ,the Amsterdam-based global women’s fund dedicated to advancing girls and women’s rights. The Foundation was established with a mission to give hope to the girl- child through education and sports. It also runs the Asisat Oshola Academy, a girls football academy designed to provide access to football and lifeskills for marginalized schoolgirls in Nigeria and the rest of the African continent.
In her words: “I have always strived to give back to the girl child in my community and I believe this football academy will provide opportunities for more girls to excel through the combination of sport and education”.
Credit; Wikipedia, Barcelona FC, arsenal.com. goal.com, FIFA, Asisat Oshola Academy
