Asisat Lamina Oshoala has been nominated for the 2022 Ballon dór Feminine player of the year following her impressive season with FC Barcelona Femini in the Spanish League.
She becomes the first female African player to get the Ballon D’or nomination.
The 27 years old reigning Africa women’s player of the year scored 20 goals in just 19 games to share the top scorer award with Geyse Ferreira.
The other Ballon d’Or nominees are Marie-Antoinette Katoto (PSG), Millie Bright (Chelsea), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Ada Hegerberg (Lyon), Selma Bacha (Lyon), Fridolina Rolfo (Barcelona), Vivianna Miedema (Arsenal), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Sam Kerr (Chelsea), Christiane Endler (Lyon), Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg), Kadidatou Diani (PSG), Catarina Macario (Lyon), Alexia Putellas (Barcelona), Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg), Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona), Wendie Renard (Lyon), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave) and Beth Mead (Arsenal).
Lyon’s Ada Hegerberg won the maiden women’s Ballon d’Or back in 2018 while United States Women’s national team star Megan Rapinoe won the honours in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 ceremony to be cancelled. Oshoala’s teammate, Alexia Putellas emerged as the winner following its resumption last year.
The 66th Ballon D’or ceremony will take place on the 17th of October at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France.
At the CAF Awards last month, Asisat Lamina Oshoala was named the African Player of the Year for a record fifth time, adding to her previous wins in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2019.