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By: Abiodun Adewale.
Alhaji Oshoala, the father of Super Falcons forward Asisat Oshoala, says he tried to stop the Barcelona Feminine forward from pursuing a career in football in order to concentrate on her education.
Oshoala’s father has been in the news recently after the player said he was unhappy with her shirtless celebration following her goal celebration in Nigeria’s stunning 3-2 win over co-hosts Australia at the ongoing Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
While Asisat is the most successful Nigerian footballer in terms of club and individual honours, the father said he had planned for his children to go to school, rather than play football.
“We didn’t see a bright future for her in football, and I planned to make sure all my children attained a high level of education and do better than us the parents,” he told BBC Sport Africa.
On his daughter’s celebration against Australia, Oshoala added, “It was an outpouring of emotions and it was not intentional. I am proud of my daughter. What I said to her is between my daughter and I.”
After breaking into the spotlight at the Women’s U-20 World Cup in 2014, Oshoala embarked on a foray to Europe in 2015, when she joined Liverpool Ladies.
About a year later, she joined Arsenal in 2016 and surprisingly switched to China, where she joined Dalian Quanjian in 2017.
She then returned to Europe in 2019 with FC Barcelona Feminine where she has won three Primera División titles, two UEFA Women’s Champions League, three Supercopa de España Femenina, and three Copa de la Reina.
After scoring against Australia in the group stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, she became the first Nigerian footballer to score in three different World Cups.