Falode Hails Oshoala Over Ballon d’Or Nomination

The Chairperson of the Nigeria Football Federation Women Football Committee and NFF Executive Committee member, Aisha Falode, has applauded one of Africa’s most successful and greatest women footballers of all times, Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala, following her nomination as one of the top contenders for the Women Ballon d’Or Feminin, for the second time in history in Africa.

Falode, noted that, Asisat’s contributions to the Super Falcons’ team’s excellent performance at the last edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand and her consistent top-class performance at club level put the Nigerian striker among the highly rated stars in the world, a situation that earned her the nomination for the Best Player in the World Award.

“For us in Nigeria, this is a big achievement as Asisat remains the only player in Africa, to be nominated for the World’s Women Best Player award.

“In the past, our greatest accolades had been the nomination and winning of the CAF African Women’s awards which Nigeria won a record 12 times by four different players: Mercy Akide, Cynthia Uwak, Perpetua Nkwocha and Asisat Oshoala.

Akide (2001), Nkwocha (2004, 2005, 2010 and 2011) and Cynthia Uwak (2006 and 2007) Asisat has won a record five times to become the first African to set this prestigious record overtaking Perpetua Nkwocha who won on four occasions. Oshoala won in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022 to emerge the most celebrated African women footballers of all times.

Some years ago, it was Oshoala who broke the African record as the first to be nominated for Ballon d’Or Feminin that was eventually won by her Barca teammate Alexia Putellas.

“It is yet another achievement for Oshoala to be nominated again for the Ballon d’Or Feminin. That’s why the NFF Women’s Football Committee is extending our best wishes for her to win the award. The Nigeria Football Federation is proud of Asisat Oshoala,” Aisha Falode said in Lagos.