Lionesses vs Nigeria: Asisat Oshoala lost her way at Arsenal but is now biggest World Cup threat to England
sisat Oshoala was asked recently if she considers herself as one of the best players in the world.
“Absolutely,” said the 28-year-old Nigeria forward. “I mean I have the numbers, so I have to take that [view].”
It is hard to argue with Oshoala. She is a superstar and the biggest threat to the Lionesses ahead of their World Cup last-16 clash with her Super Falcons in Brisbane on Monday.
Oshoala has just won the Champions League with Barcelona, is a five-time African player of the year, a champion for gender equality and has set up the Asisat Oshoala Foundation with the ambition of helping young girls from Africa pursue a career in sport.
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Six years ago, though, Oshoala was not the charismatic and confident player she is today. She was short of game-time at Arsenal and her struggles in England dented her self-belief.
Oshoala started to doubt her talent and decided to leave the WSL for a lucrative move to Chinese side Dalian.It reignited a spark inside her, she won back-to-back league titles and by January 2019 had returned to Europe, joining Barcelona on a six-month loan.
In that spell she scored eight goals in 11 games and, unsurprisingly, a permanent move followed in the summer.
Oshoala has not looked back and she arrived at this World Cup on the back off a fourth successive season in which she has scored 20 goals for Barcelona.
Capable of playing anywhere across the forward line, she causes defenders problems with her blistering pace and athleticism.
Growing up, she idolised Ronaldo and the way Oshoala drives with the ball bares resemblance to the legendary Brazil striker.
Australia learned in the group stage just how devastating Oshoala can be, when she came off the bench to score the winner in a surprise 3-2 victory over the co-hosts.
Oshoala has her sights set on another shock against England, but her road to here has not been easy. She grew up in Ikorodu, near the Nigerian city of Lagos, and her parents were reluctant to let her play football.
They wanted Oshoala to focus on her studies (she wanted to become a lawyer) and she would sneak out to play without them knowing.
The Under-20 World Cup in 2014 was a turning point. Oshoala finished the tournament as top scorer and best player, prompting her father to support her dream of becoming a professional footballer.
Liverpool signed her a year later and she won the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2015. She moved on to Arsenal where things went awry.
Oshoala’s move to England was huge news across Africa and she feels like she is representing the whole continent at this World Cup.
Despite Nigeria’s build-up being overshadowed by a row with their national association over unpaid wages, the Super Falcons have made the knockout stage.
Few give them much chance against the Lionesses but, with Oshoala in their side, they believe anything is possible.
