Is Africa's Deadliest Female Striker Burning Out?
The transfer window ahead of the current season of the American National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) carried with it the usual whirlwind of mouth-watering moves and headline-grabbing acquisitions as the American sides jostled for big names to shore up their squads. For the expansion side Bay FC in the National Women's Soccer League, their marquee signing came in the form of a notoriously deadly Nigerian striker whose quality has left many a seasoned defender trembling, Asisat Oshoala.
Transferring from the indomitable Barcelona Femení side that she had helped go from glory to glory, Oshoala arrived on American shores amid great fanfare. Her lethal combination of blistering pace, clinical finishing and an insatiable appetite for goals had dismantled the best defences in Africa, Europe and Asia. Suddenly, the NWSL's backlines were put on notice – Africa's deadliest markswoman was coming for them.
The dream beginning script wrote itself when Oshoala coolly slotted home Bay FC's first-ever goal against Angel City FC on opening night. Cue pandemonium in the stands as the Nigerian's new adoring fans were granted an early glimpse of the fireworks to come. When she followed it up with an assist just days later, visions of Oshoala running rampant and shattering records danced in the minds of the Bay FC faithful.
However, those burgeoning fantasies have since been doused in the harsh realities of the unforgiving NWSL season. After that blistering opening salvo, Oshoala's impact has waned as Bay FC find themselves entrenched in a malaise that has them languishing in 13th place of the 14-team league, having suffered
seven consecutive defeats.
Yet, this nosedive needs not constitute a diagnosis of Oshoala's pedigree as a glance at her CV easily serves as a smelling salt to complacency. The Nigerian's ascent has been nothing short of meteoric, her obvious talent on the pitch blazing a trail for African and non-African strikers on the world stage. Oshoala enjoyed an illustrious career at the club level, excelling in multiple top-tier leagues around the world. She began her professional journey with Rivers Angels in Nigeria, where her exceptional performances caught international attention, leading to a move to Liverpool in the Women's Super League. After a season in England, she joined Arsenal, where she continued to demonstrate her striking chops. Her career reached new heights in China with Dalian Quanjian, where she was the league's top scorer and led her team to the title.
However, it was at Barcelona Femení that Oshoala truly cemented her status as a world-class striker, winning multiple league titles and a UEFA Women's Champions League, while consistently being one of the top scorers in Europe. Her time at Barcelona was marked by her incredible goal-scoring record and her ability to perform in crucial matches, solidifying her reputation as one of the best forwards in women's football.
On the international stage, Oshoala has been a linchpin for the Super Falcons of Nigeria. She burst onto the scene at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, where she won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards. Since then, she has been instrumental in Nigeria's success, helping the team secure multiple Africa Women Cup of Nations titles. Her contributions in front of goal and leadership on the pitch have made her an indispensable figure for the national team. Oshoala’s ability to deliver in key moments has not only earned her individual accolades but has also elevated the Super Falcons' status on the global stage. Her impact transcends statistics, as she continues to inspire a new generation of female footballers in Africa and beyond as the prodigious poacher accumulated over 100 caps and 63 goals for Nigeria's Super Falcons since making her debut as a 19-year-old in 2011.
After four hugely successful campaigns at the Nou Camp with Oshoala spearheading Barcelona Femení's march to domestic and European glory with 81 strikes in just 109 outings, this startling fall from grace with Bay FC begs several questions. Just what has happened to the free-scoring Oshoala who left the giants of European football green with envy? Where has the killer instinct that once struck dread into the stoutest of defences gone? The transition from the technical, possession-based style favoured in Spain's Primera División to the frenetic, all-action physicality of the NWSL has undoubtedly presented a formidable challenge. Oshoala, while boasting a CV decorated with honours, is acclimatising to a new reality where raw athleticism often trumps the delicate subtleties of the continental game.
In the NWSL's high-intensity bear pit, split-second decisions and a relentless competitive zeal are the order of the day. For Oshoala, adjusting her game to these untamed environs appears to have proven a mighty obstacle to conquer in the embryonic stages of her American odyssey. Then there is the weight of expectation that accompanies a lofty transfer and equally lofty reputation. As Bay FC's flagship acquisition, Oshoala arrived in California laden with the hopes of an entire franchise and fan base desperate for on-field success. Such burdens would test even the most resolute of mentalities when the going gets tough.
“While Oshoala may possess a predatory instinct honed to sharpened perfection, she remains only as potent as the service lines behind her
There is also the collective element so pivotal to any striker's fortunes. For while Oshoala may possess a predatory instinct honed to sharpened perfection, she remains only as potent as the service lines behind her. Bay FC's teething problems as an expansion franchise have manifested in disjointed build-up play and a lack of cohesion – the slick interplay and creativity required to bring the best out of their talismanic Number 9 has also been sorely lacking. In Barcelona, this was only natural and it provided Oshoala with only to think of clinical finishing, which she was seamlessly aligned to do with efficient regularity.
It is clear that, for all her undoubted gifts, Oshoala is merely human. The physical and psychological toll of acclimatising to a new league, lifestyle, and culture should not be underestimated in accounting for her inauspicious start to life in American female football top flight.