Asisat Oshoala is not just a forward. She is a legend. The Barcelona forward has been one of the most impressive players in the Catalan club’s dominant performance in recent years, winning a continental treble in her first season and sharing the league’s top scorer award with her teammate Geyse Ferreira. She is widely regarded as one of the best forwards in the world, and one of the most decorated players in the game.

Born in Ikorodu, Nigeria, Asisat Oshoala started playing football at a young age, inspired by her father and brother. She joined FC Robo, where she played with boys until she was 14. She then moved to Rivers Angels, where she made her senior debut at 15, and scored 38 goals in 43 appearances.

In 2015, she signed for Liverpool, where she spent one season. She scored three goals in 12 appearances for the English club, becoming the first African player to feature in the Women’s Super League. She then moved to Arsenal in 2016, where she spent another season. She scored two goals in 11 appearances for the Gunners, winning the FA Cup.

In 2017, she signed for Dalian Quanjian, where she spent two seasons. She scored 19 goals in 23 appearances for the Chinese club, becoming the top scorer of the Chinese Women’s Super League. She also won two league titles and one cup with Dalian Quanjian.

In 2019, she signed for Barcelona on loan, where she has been ever since. She quickly established herself as a key player for the team, playing as a forward who can also operate on the wings or as an attacking midfielder. She is known for her power, pace, dribbling, finishing, and game-changing ability. She has scored 100 goals in 104 appearances for Barcelona, making her one of the most influential forwards in the club’s history.

With Barcelona, she won a continental treble in her first season, winning the league, the cup, and the Champions League. She scored four goals in that Champions League campaign, helping Barcelona beat Chelsea 4-0 in the final. She also scored 20 goals in the league, sharing the top scorer award with Geyse Ferreira.

She repeated the feat in 2022–23, when Barcelona staged a remarkable comeback to beat Wolfsburg 3-2 in the Champions League final and retain their crown. She scored three goals in that final, including a brace and an assist for the winner. She also scored 20 goals in the league again, sharing the top scorer award with Geyse Ferreira again.

On the international stage, Asisat Oshoala has been a regular for Nigeria since 2013, earning 63 caps and scoring 28 goals. She has played in four major tournaments with Nigeria: the 2014 and 2018 African Women’s Championship; and the 2015 and 2019 World Cup. She has also represented Nigeria at the Olympics once: finishing fourth in 2016.

She has won several individual awards for her performances with Nigeria: she was named African Women’s Footballer of the Year four times (2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019); BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year once (2015); Queen of The Pitch Award once (2014); Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the U-20 World Cup once (2014); Golden Boot at the African Women’s Championship once (2016).