Asisat Oshoala

Early life Oshoala attended Air Force Primary School in Victoria Island, Lagos, and completed secondary school at Aunty Ayo International School in Ikoyi, Lagos. She said her parents were not supportive when she dropped out of school to pursue a football career. Oshoala is a Muslim.

Club career

Liverpool On 23 January 2015, Oshoala became the first African player to compete in England's Women's Super League, when she joined Liverpool. The club's manager, Matt Beard, called her "one of the best young players in the world". Despite missing two months of the 2015 season with a knee injury, Oshoala scored three goals in the nine games in which she played. Her first goal of the season was the game-opener of a 2–1 win against Birmingham City on April 1. In January 2016, Liverpool reported that a transfer bid from Arsenal had activated the release clause in Oshoala's contract and that she was in negotiations with the London club.

Arsenal In March 2016, Oshoala signed with Arsenal. On 14 May, she helped the club win the 2016 FA Women's Cup Final, which marked Arsenal's 14th title. Oshoala made 13 appearances for the club during the 2016 season and scored two goals, with Arsenal finishing in third place in the league with a record.

Dalian Quanjian On 10 February 2017, Oshoala signed with the Chinese club Dalian (大连女子足球俱乐部). During the 2017 season, she scored 12 goals, helping the club win the league championship. She was awarded the league's Golden Boot award for most goals scored. The same year, she scored four goals during the 2017 Women's Super Cup as Dalian defeated Shanghai 5–3 to win the championship.

FC Barcelona Oshoala dribbles the ball during the 2019 UEFA Women's Champions League Final. On 31 January 2019, the Spanish club FC Barcelona Femení signed Oshoala on a loan deal until the end of the season. On May 31, Barcelona announced her full transfer to the club and an extension until 2022. Oshoala scored seven goals in her seven appearances for the club during the 2018–19 season.

Oshoala scored Barcelona's only goal in a 4–1 defeat to Lyon in the 2019 UEFA Women's Champions League Final, becoming the first African to score in a Champions League Final. During the 2019–20 season, Oshoala scored 20 goals in her 19 appearances for Barcelona, including four goals in a 6–0 win against CD Tacon on January 11, 2020. Barcelona finished in first place during the regular season with an undefeated record. Oshoala's 20 goals ranked second in the league behind the 23 goals of teammate Jenni Hermoso.

Oshoala scored the game-opening goal in the fourth minute of the 2019–20 Copa de la Reina semi-final against Seville, and also provided two assists as Barcelona achieved a 6–0 win. In the final, Barcelona defeated Logroño 3–0 to win the championship. On 21 August 2020, Oshoala provided the assist for Kheira Hamraoui's game-winning goal in the 2019–20 UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final against Atlético Madrid. thumb

On 24 March 2021, Oshoala scored the game-winning goal in Barcelona's 3–0 win over Manchester City during the first leg of the 2020–21 Champions League quarterfinals. On 16 May, she became the first African woman to win the UEFA Champions League as Barcelona defeated Chelsea 4–0.

During her time at Barcelona, Oshoala made 162 appearances and scored 117 goals, becoming the fourth-highest goalscorer in the club's history. She won 14 trophies, which included two trebles. Having taken part in all competitions of Barcelona's 2023–24 season before leaving at the end of January, she also won the team's quadruple.

Bay FC On , it was announced that Oshoala had joined the U.S. football club Bay FC . In her debut match, Oshoala scored the only goal in Bay FC's 1–0 victory over Angel City.

Al Hilal On 2 September 2025, Oshoala signed for the Saudi Women's Premier League club Al Hilal. She scored in her first match with the club against Al Qadasiah. During the 2025 Saudi Women's Premier Challenge Cup – Winter edition, she scored a hat-trick in the quarter-final and another in the semi-final. Al Hilal progressed to the final, where they were defeated by Al-Nassr. At the 2025–26 Saudi Women's Cup, Oshoala again scored a hat-trick in the semi-final, and Al Hilal again lost to Al-Nassr in the final. She finished the season with 24 goals and 6 assists. Oshoala was named as the best player at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and was the top goalscorer at the tournament with seven goals. She was named the best player and the second top goalscorer with the national squad that won the 2014 African Women's Championship. In September 2014, Oshoala was made a Member of the Order of the Niger by President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan. Oshoala won the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year award in 2015.

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup During the 2015 Women's World Cup, Oshoala scored her first World Cup goal in Nigeria's 3–3 draw with Sweden on 8 June. Nigeria was subsequently defeated by Australia and by the United States, and did not advance to the knockout stages. Oshoala was a member of the national squad that won the African Women's Championship in 2016 and 2018. She scored three goals during the 2018 tournament.

2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Oshoala vice-captained the national team at the 2019 Women's World Cup in France. During the team's group stage match against South Korea, Oshoala scored once as Nigeria won 2–0. She was named Player of the Match, and her goal was nominated for Goal of the Tournament by FIFA. Nigeria advanced to the knockout stages, where they were defeated 3–0 by Germany in a controversial match heavily influenced by video assistant referee (VAR).

2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations Oshoala was called up to the Nigeria squad for the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations. On 16 June 2023, she was included in the 23-player Nigerian squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. In Nigeria's group stage game against Australia at the World Cup, Oshoala scored the third goal of the match, which made her the first Nigeria player to score during three consecutive FIFA World Cups, having previously scored in the 2015 and 2019 tournaments. She also became the first African to score during three different FIFA Women's World Cups.

Oshoala was called up to the Nigeria squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics. On 20 June 2025, she was named in the Nigeria squad for the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations.

2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations During the 2026 edition of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), Oshoala scored her 15th career WAFCON goal in the eighth minute of Nigeria's 1–0 group-stage victory over Zambia. In Nigeria's final group match, she scored the opening goal of an eventual 6–2 victory over Egypt.

Style of play Oshoala is known for her explosive pace, strength, and clinical finishing. She combines athleticism with technique, making her one of the most feared forwards in women's football. She thrives in counter-attacking situations, and knows how to time runs behind defenses and position herself well in the box. She is strong in the air, capable of scoring with headers, and is calm and effective in one-on-one situations with goalkeepers. She can play as a central striker or wide forward. Oshoala found success as a forward for Nigeria's youth teams, but made most of her early appearances for the senior national team as an attacking midfielder. She has been given the nicknames "Seedorf"—after the Dutch footballer Clarence Seedorf—and "Superzee".

Activities off the pitch Oshoala is a brand ambassador for Nike. In 2019, she launched the Asisat Oshoala Foundation, which aims to empower girl footballers in Africa. The foundation hosts the annual Football4girls tournament in Lagos. In 2021, Oshoala was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30, and was appointed to FIFA's technical advisory group on the growth and advancement of women's football.

Career statistics Club

International goals Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Oshoala goal.

Honours Rivers Angels Nigerian Women's Championship: 2014 Nigerian Women's Cup: 2013, 2014

Arsenal FA Women's Cup: 2015–16

FC Barcelona Primera División: 2019–20, 2022–23 Supercopa de España Femenina: 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24 Copa de la Reina: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22 Nigeria Women's Africa Cup of Nations: 2014, 2016, 2018, 2024 African Women's Footballer of the Year: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023 African Women's Youth Player of the Year: 2014 African Women's Championship Golden Boot: 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Golden Boot: 2014 Primera División Top scorer: 2021–22 Chinese Women's Super League Top scorer: 2017 IFFHS All-time Africa Women's Dream Team: 2021 IFFHS CAF Women's Team of the Decade: 2011–2020 IFFHS Women's CAF Best Player of the Year: 2020, 2021 IFFHS Women's CAF Team of the Year: 2020, 2021, 2023 Queen of The Pitch Award: 2014 CAF Team of the Year Women's XI: 2023, 2024 Orders