Asisat Oshoala | I just don’t think you Know

Asisat Oshoala was a target of critics during Nigeria’s win over Zambia in the ongoing WAFCON tournament.

Despicable behavior from some so-called fans of the Nigeria Super Falcons marred what should’ve been a night of undiluted celebration, as the team demolished Zambia 5-0 in the quarter-finals of the ongoing Women’s AFCON in Morocco.

While the Super Falcons put on a vintage display, some fans shamefully turned to social media, not to praise the win, but to taunt Asisat Oshoala, unarguably the greatest player in the history of African women’s football.

The final whistle hadn’t even gone off before the phrase “Leave football before football leaves you” began trending, a cheap dig aimed at the six-time CAF Women’s Player of the Year winner. But perhaps these critics have forgotten who they’re talking about.

Asisat Oshoala’s name isn’t, and will not be defined by a 15-minute cameo, one when the game had already been decided, with the Super Falcons four goals ahead.

Yet, the voices of critics chose to dishonor an all-time great with a take as ungrateful as it was insensitive. Instead of basking in the brilliance of a dominant performance, they found fault in the one player whose contributions helped make moments like this possible in the first place.

Asisat Oshoala: The Name That Needs No Introduction

Undoubtedly the greatest African woman footballer, Asisat Oshoala boasts six CAF African Player of the Year awards, two more than the iconic Perpetua Nkwocha, and multiple league and continental triumphs in Africa, Europe, and Asia.

She took the long journey, and success became her destination. From the streets of Ikorodu in Nigeria to the climax of football, she has been there, not as a spectator, but as the spectacle. A legend even when in the making. CAF Player of the Year winner at 20.

In 2021, Asisat Oshoala became the first African woman to win the UEFA Women’s Champions League, doing so with FC Barcelona, not as a fringe player, but as a core contributor.

She went on to win the trophy again in 2023, and claimed five consecutive Spanish league titles, three Copa de la Reina, and four Super Cups, making her the most decorated African woman footballer of all time.

In the 2020–21 season, she won the Pichichi award as the league’s top scorer, the first African woman to do so in any top European league.

In her second year in Spain, she became the first-ever African woman to receive a Ballon d’Or nomination, where she ultimately finished 16th in the final ranking.

And long before Europe? Oshoala was already a phenomenon.

Previously in Nigeria, while bearing the flag of Rivers Angels, whom she joined from her girlhood club, Robo Queens, a young Asisat Oshoala won two Nigeria Women’s Cups and one league title before hitting the headlines on the globe.

In 2014, she was the top scorer and best player at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, netting seven goals as Nigeria finished runners-up to Germany.

That same year, she was the top scorer and second-best player at the WAFCON, where Nigeria won her seventh title of the tournament, she became African champion at a young age, and concluded the year with the CAF Women’s Player of the Year award.

Still at 20, she was conferred with the honor of a Member of the Order of the Niger by the then President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan. A genuine question, what were you all doing at 20?

In 2015, she became the first-ever recipient of the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year, beating global stars like Marta, Kim Little, and Nadine Kessler. Asisat Oshoala remains the youngest winner of the award to date.

When she moved to Liverpool in 2015, she became the first African woman to play in the English top flight and Africa’s first goalscorer in the WSL, before later winning the FA Cup with Arsenal.

Then in China, she helped Dalian Quanjian to back-to-back league titles, finishing as top scorer in her debut season. Since her move to Barcelona in 2019, the Chinese club hasn’t won another league title. Shows how much impact she had in Dalian.

Her CV reads like a chronicle of African greatness. Milestones, trophies, and individual supremacy, no player on the planet of Africa has left such an enduring mark in the global women’s game. These taunts aren’t just cruel, they’re clueless.

The dismissiveness reeks of ageism, and their comments expose an ugly truth: we’re too quick to discard our legends the moment their roles shift from center stage to supporting cast.

But even supporting roles matter. Especially in a youthful Falcons side, packed with players who’ve never lifted the WAFCON before, Oshoala’s presence is vital. Her leadership matters, even if it’s off the ball.

We often admire the achievements of our international contemporaries, wishing to emulate them, while we frequently blame our leaders for our failures in doing so. However, when we evaluate our own efforts, do we not strive to compare?

Cristiano Ronaldo, nearing the twilight of his career, has had his share of quiet outings for his national team. But Portuguese fans never turned on him. Instead, they backed him, and recently, he led them to the UEFA Nations League.

Oshoala may not be Ronaldo, but when it comes to African women’s football, she is that star. She is that standard.Yet, instead of praise, she received memes and mockery. And if we’re so quick to shame our legends, what moral ground do we stand on when others do the same?

In a country that often fails to honor its footballing icons after retirement, must the people also join in disrespecting them before they even exit the stage?

Let The GOAT Be

Even if she’s no longer at her peak, Oshoala causes no harm by being in the squad. In fact, her presence might just be what’s needed to get this generation across the finish line. Winners breed winners, and her very aura might be the spark that ignites belief.

Asisat Oshoala doesn’t need validation from social media mobs. Her trophy cabinet, accolades, and history speak volumes. If football ever leaves her, it will be on her terms, not those of fickle commentators.

To everyone who gleefully trends cruel memes and demands retirement: you are but forgetful, short-sighted, and, yes, ungrateful. Instead of spotlighting a golden generation in the making, you attempted to degrade its guiding light.

Nevertheless, Agba Baller is used to this. She’s been doubted before. And each time, she’s answered with trophies, goals, and records. Speaking of trophies, another one may be on the horizon.

She may no longer dominate every match physically, but her legacy, presence, and poise remain unmatched. And for that, critics owe her more than silence, they owe her respect.

In a new look Super Falcons team, filled with youth who haven’t lifted the trophy before, her off-pitch leadership is invaluable, and for Mission X to be achieved, fans have to do away with digs that can cause distractions in the team.

Up next for the record winners is a clash with defending champions South Africa. And whether or not she features, her presence will be felt, and her legacy will be carried by every player on the team, the bench, and even those still striving toward professionalism — playing their way up to stardom.

The name Asisat Oshoala has paid its dues, paved the way for others, and deserves to be applauded, at all times. Fellow Nigerians, we can do better.

Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi