Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala leads on and off the pitch with the next generation in mind
Asisat Oshoala has defied the odds to get to where she is.
That included going against the grain in her home city of Lagos, where football - and sports in general - were off-limits for young girls.
Her parents wanted Oshoala to focus on education as they didn't see a future for her in the sport.
But that didn’t stop the young prodigy, whose name is now etched into the history books.
As well as winning African Women’s Footballer of the Year a record six times, in 2023 she became the first Nigerian player - male or female - to score in three-consecutive World Cup tournaments.
Playing her club football in the US, she continues to be a leader both on and off the pitch for the national team too. That will include at Paris 2024, where the Super Falcons will compete at the Olympic Games for the first time since Beijing 2008.
Bay FC forward Oshoala
Asisat Oshoala: I think we can medal at Paris 2024
Oshoala has the utmost belief that Nigeria can earn a podium finish at Paris 2024.
The 29-year-old has not played at the Games before, making her debut five years after their last showing at the Olympics.
“I know what I can do, I know what I can offer on and off the pitch,” she told FIFA.
“Even when I was at the best team in the world (FC Barcelona), I knew what I could contribute. I always encourage the younger ones and help them understand they can give even more.
“I work hard for the team and try to make sure I do my part – we’re a team that won’t stop running until we hear the whistle. That’s difficult for the opposition teams, because they can’t break us.”
But it won’t come easy, drawn into a group with Brazil, Japan, and world champions Spain.
Oshoala knows this is a difficult group, but insists she is ready to lead from the front and do whatever it takes to make sure they progress into the knockout stages.
“We have young players, players who play at top clubs around the world, so you can’t really push our team aside,” she said.
“Whichever team is going to get a point from us is going to have to work hard for it.
“I promise you that this team is different and we’re going to go out there to fight everything.”
Oshoala’s influence on the next generation
No one knows more than Oshoala just how important opportunities are for young girls.
The Nigerian told herself that, should she ever make it to the top, it was imperative to give back.
In 2019, Oshoala did just that by launching her own foundation with a focus on empowering the next generation of footballers in Africa.
“My foundation will always preach education and sport because I know the importance of [both of them],” she told The Athletic.
“The foundation is going to be there to encourage girls, to create opportunities for them to compete every year and also to give them hope and make them understand that no matter the difficulty, you can always come out of it.”
In a different interview with The Guardian, the Bay FC forward discusses the importance of conversing with parents to encourage kids to follow their passion.
It is something she is well versed in, speaking from experience.
“You don’t necessarily have to leave football to have an education, or leave education, to go into sport – you can always do the two together,” she said.
“That’s what I’m trying to preach to parents in Africa and to tell the girls that they don’t have to give up on their dreams because of society or because of people around them.
“I tell them my own story and when they see that there’s someone who got out of this process, they might want to go on the same path as well.”
As much as Oshoala does her talking on the pitch, her legacy off it will have an impact for years to come.
A true icon and a trailblazer of African football.