She has won the African Women’s Player of the Year award six times, scored in a UEFA Women’s Champions League final and played for one of the biggest clubs in women’s football. Yet when Asisat Oshoala talks about what matters most, the conversation always finds its way back to Lagos.

“I return home whenever I can. My parents live in Nigeria and spending time with family is very important to me,” the Nigerian striker says. “Whenever I have a break, I prefer to go home and be with them. Family is everything.”

That grounding is particularly striking given how far football has taken her. From England to China, to FC Barcelona in Spain and now to Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia’s Women’s Premier League, Oshoala’s career has spanned continents and shattered ceilings. But the journey was never straightforward.

“My main struggle was convincing my parents to allow me to play football. At first, they wanted me to focus solely on education,” she recalls. “I even had to hide or lie occasionally just to go and play.” It was only after her breakthrough at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup where she swept the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards that her family fully embraced her path.

That tournament was the turning point. “It introduced me to the world as a young player from Nigeria and opened many doors for me,” she says. The doors led to Europe, to loneliness and eventually to historic heights.

“Living alone in a different country without friends or family was not easy. Even now in Saudi Arabia, I live alone without family around me,” she admits. “At the beginning, I saw it as an opportunity. But as time passes, loneliness can set in.”

The sacrifices were not without reward. Scoring in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final with Barcelona placed her among the elite of the global game and sent a message that resonated far beyond the pitch. “It was an eye-opener for many African girls, showing them that reaching the highest level of women’s football is possible with hard work and a bit of luck,” she says.

Through it all, representing Nigeria has remained her deepest motivation. “Every tournament is special to me because I give my all in every competition,” she says, singling out the 2023 World Cup in Australia as a standout. “Those performances showed how much the Nigerian team is evolving and improving with every competition.”

Off the pitch, Oshoala is building what she considers her most important work. Through the Asisat Oshoala Foundation, she supports girls in underserved communities with basic needs, education and access to sport. “I aim to give these girls opportunities I did not have growing up, balancing education and sport, building confidence and preparing for a better future,” she says. “It is a project very close to my heart.”

For a player who once had to sneak away from home just to kick a ball, the foundation is personal. “I would love to be remembered as someone who advocated for and protected the girl child, someone who empowered young girls through football and education. That would mean everything to me.”

Asisat Oshoala currently plays for Al Hilal in the Saudi Women’s Premier League, broadcast live on SuperSport’s AWSN channel.