Asisat Oshoala: Nigeria striker keen to 'keep raising the African flag'
- Published
Nigeria and Barcelona striker Asisat Oshoala with the Spanish League trophy (left), the European Women's Champions League trophy (centre) and the Spanish Copa de Reina (Photo: @AsisatOshoala twitter)
Nigeria and Barcelona's Asisat Oshoala says she's determined to 'keep raising the African flag' by winning even more major trophies.
The four-time African Women's Footballer of the Year sealed a perfect season with Barcelona Femenino on Sunday as they beat Levante in the Spanish Copa de la Reina, to add to the European Women's Champions League title and Spanish League crown.
And Oshoala says securing the special treble for the first time in the club's history has made her desperate for more silverware.
"Once is a nice achievement, but it has given me and my teammates a taste of success and we want more of that," she told BBC Sport.
"You can never limit yourself when you go out there to play professionally, especially outside of the continent because you carry more than your nation on your shoulder.
"To achieve this with Barcelona has shown that we can win a major trophy as a team and as part of this great club, the desire is keep raising the African flag by making more history."
Two years after becoming the first player from the continent to appear and also score in the final, Oshoala became the first African winner of the European Women's Champions League two weeks ago.
The Champions League title is just the latest honour in her career as she becomes the continent's most decorated female footballer in history.
"The hope is for whatever I do to open doors for other Africans because we have talented players in Africa," she added.
"It's very important to continue to not only represent my country well but the beautiful continent of Africa very well, too."
Oshoala won the Confederation of African Football's (Caf) Women's Player of the Year award in early 2020 - for a fourth time equalling the record of fellow Nigerian Perpetua Nkwocha.
The maiden BBC Women's Footballer of the Year winner scored at the 2019 Women's World Cup to help Nigeria reach the last 16 in France.
She joined the Spanish outfit initially on loan from Chinese champions Dalian Quanjian in January 2019 before signing a permanent deal five months later.
The former FC Robo and Rivers Angels star moved to Quanjian in the Far East in February 2017 from English side Arsenal Ladies with whom she won the Women's FA Cup at Wembley in May 2016.
She finished as the Chinese Women's Super League top scorer in 2017 with 12 goals to help her club to the title same year.
Oshoala, who began her European career at Liverpool Ladies, won her third Women's Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Falcons in Ghana in 2018, scoring three goals as Nigeria lifted the title for a ninth time.