Asisat Oshoala shortlisted for 2023 Ballon d’Or award

Nigerian football star and Super Falcons forward, Asisat Oshoala, has been named as a nominee for the prestigious 2023 Ballon d’Or Award.

The announcement was made by France Football, the organiser of the award, via its official Twitter handle on July 7.

Oshoala has been nominated in the Socrates Award category, which recognises outstanding solidarity actions carried out by football champions. She is one of five individuals shortlisted for the award, which was established last year and named after the legendary Brazilian footballer, Socrates.

Joining Oshoala as nominees in the category are Vinicius Jnr (Brazil/Real Madrid), Antonio Rudiger (Germany/Real Madrid), Marcus Rashford (England/Manchester United), and Alex Morgan (USA/San Diego Wave).

The nomination acknowledges Oshoala’s remarkable contributions to her community through the creation of the Oshoala Academy. The academy aims to provide high-quality football training and education on life skills to its beneficiaries. It also empowers young women through sports, transforming them into community role models and ambassadors for the skills they acquire.

The announcement further stated that the nominees in other categories, including men’s, women’s, Yachine Trophy, and Kopa Trophy, will be revealed on September 6.

At present, Oshoala is in Australia with the Super Falcons, Nigeria’s national women’s football team, to prepare for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia.

The Super Falcons are placed in Group B and will face Australia, Canada, and the Republic of Ireland during the group stages of the tournament.