Nigeria Super Falcons superstar and Dalian Quanjian forward Asisat Oshoala has emerged as Confederations of African Football CAF Women’s Footballer of the Year in a glamorous ceremony held in Ghana’s capital city Accra on Thursday night.
Oshoala who had previously won the award in 2014 and 2016, beat Cameroonian Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene (Russia Championship side Rossiyanka) and Christina Kgatlana (University of the Western Cape Town) of South Africa to the top prize.
The 2015 BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year made a switch to Chinese Women’s Super League side Dalian Quanjian of China at the beginning of last season after enduring a relatively unsuccessful spell in England with Liverpool and Arsenal Ladies.
Oshoala has been sensational since arriving in China notched 12 goals including a brace in the final game of the season, winning a double for Quanjian, the league title, and league Cup, emerging as the League’s top striker.
Oshoala has been capped 17 times by the Nigeria national women senior team since she got his call-up in 2011.
Meanwhile, Super Eagles gaffer, Gernot Rohr lost out on the Coach of the year accolade to the Egyptian national team manager, Hector Cuper, and South Africa’s Bayana Bayana U20 Women equally took home the Women National Team of the Year award at the expense of Nigeria’s U20 Falconets.
The Super Eagles would also miss out on the National Team of the Year as the Pharaohs of Egypt came out top in that category.
Also recognized was Nigeria’s Sunday Ibrahim who took home the Legend of the Year award, Patson Daka of Zambia who was named the Youth player of the year while Moroccan club, Wydad Casablanca was named the Club of the year 2017.
For Oshoala, it was the third time the former Arsenal and Liverpool striker would be honoured with the prestigious award, having won the 2014 and 2016 edition.
The latest would come at the back of his immense contribution for Dalian Quanjian in the Chinese Women’s Superleague where her goalscoring exploits inspired her team to the Chinese Super Cup.
