Football has become a unifier and a sport that everyone wants to watch or play. Whether you are a fan or a player, football is an exciting game. Today, the game has drawn people against each other because of team or country choice. In Africa, we are not left behind when it comes to this game.
The presence of Africa has never been found wanting in female football, both within and outside the continent. The continent has produced heroines of the game both in the past and the present. As more African countries are picking interest in female football, the root of the game is getting deeper in the continent, and the place of Africa in female football at the global level is getting broader.
Let’s look at some of the best African female footballers in no particular order;
Asisat Oshoala:
This Nigerian female professional footballer is currently playing in the forward position at Barcelona Femení, a Spanish club side. She won the B.B.C. African Footballer of the Year award three consecutive times between 2014 and 2016. She started her football career with River Angels, from where she joined Liverpool Ladies in 2014.
She was in Liverpool Ladies for just two seasons and moved over to Dalian Quanjian F.C., a Chinese club side. She moved over to Barcelona In 2017. She was a member of the team that represented Nigeria in the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
She was also in the Nigerian team that won the African Women’s Cup of Nations in 2014 and 2018. Asisat Oshoala is naturally gifted in goal-scoring. She is a perfect dribbler and finisher.
Perpetua Nkwocha
This legendary Nigerian female football was naturally born a goal scorer. She has always been the highest goal scorer in the African Women’s Championship tournaments and has 14 goals to her credit. She has at various times received different prestigious awards for her outstanding performances.
She has been crowned the African Player of the Year four times, and in 2004 she received the B.B.C. African Footballer of the Year award. Perpetua has played in the women’s national team, during which she twice won the Olympic gold medals in two different Olympic tournaments.
She has also featured in two different World Cup tournaments as a member of the Nigerian team. At the club level, she played for Umeå I.K. of Sweden and LdB FC of Malmö. In 2012 she was crowned with the prestigious honorary ambassador for African Football award by FIFA.
Noko Matlou
Noko Matlou is a multi-skilled player that can perfectly play any wing in the round leather game. Her technical abilities and vision qualify her to be a perfect playmaker. Her swiftness and vigor give her the attacking advantage. Noko Matlou has many feathers on her football career cap.
In 2006 and 2010 respectively, she has crowned the Africa Women’s Footballer of the Year. She was on the national team that represented her country in the Olympics, World Cup, and Africa Cup of Nations at different times.
Mercy Akide-Udoh
She played with the Nigerian national team in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Mercy Akide-Udoh is endured with multiple football skills. She can play as a striker, a midfielder, and a defender. She is swift with the ball and full of vigor. When we talk about super female footballers in Africa, we would always remember Mercy.
African football still has a long way to go, especially when it comes to women. Many young girls have been inspired by women’s football and this has been a boost to the development of the game all over the continent. It has now become obvious that Women’s football has positively been influenced by African football, and these African female football legends have contributed significantly to this success report.
With the number of women ready to try their talents, football could become their solace in standing out from the crowd. With African female football becoming more popular, we await the day their league becomes as competitive as the men’s local league.
In conclusion, while these female footballers have made us proud, we believe that more of these talents are ready for us. Time and chance are two factors that combine with talent to make them relevant. Who among these footballers has impressed you?
