Asisat Oshoala Missing As 2 African Footballers Nominated for Women’s Ballon d’Or
- France Football have announced the 30 players for the 2024 Women's Ballon d'Or award
- Super Falcons striker and former Barcelona star Asisat Oshoala has been omitted from the list
- Two female African footballers were named on the list that was dominated by Europeans
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France Football have released the 30-player shortlist for the 2024 Women's Ballon, but Super Falcons striker Asisat Oshoala has been omitted from the list.
Oshoala is the reigning African Women's Footballer of the Year for a record sixth time after winning the award alongside compatriot Victor Osimhen, who won the men's award.
Source: Getty Images
She was part of the Barcelona Feminino squad that won the treble in the 2023/24 season—La Liga Feminino, UEFA Women's Champions League and Female Super Cup.
Oshola omitted from Ballon d'Or shortlist
The 2024 Women's Ballon d'Or shortlist featured 30 footballers, as seen in a post shared on social media by the official account, and the reigning African Women's Footballer of the Year was missing.
She was a part-time player for Barcelona Feminino in her final season but was also pivotal when called upon. She left the club for Bay FC in the National Women's Soccer League.
Her international career also dwindled in the time under consideration. She scored once as Nigeria reached the 2023 FIFA World Cup round of 16 and failed to hit a shot on target at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Two African women's footballers featured in the list are Malawi’s Tabitha Chawinga, who played for Paris Saint-Germain and recently joined Lyon, and Zambia’s Barbara Banda, who plays for Orlando Pride in the NWSL.
According to olympics.com, Banda made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics after scoring a hat trick in Zambia's 6-5 loss to Australia, which led to their elimination.
Her three-goal haul meant she became the first player to score three Olympic hat tricks, scoring two in back-to-back games against China and the Netherlands in Tokyo in 2020.
Oshoala sends cryptic message
Legit.ng previously reported that Asisat Oshoala sent a cryptic message on her Instagram Page after she was benched throughout Nigeria's Paris 2024 opening match 1-0 loss to Brazil.
Nigerians were furious about the decision to leave the former Barcelona striker on the bench, but manager Randy Waldrum claimed she was not physically fit to play a part in the match despite the need to.
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Source: Legit.ng
