Oshoala wins Player of The Month in Saudi league

Super Falcons striker Asisat Oshoala has been named the Saudi Women’s Premier League Player of the Month for September after a blistering start to life with Al Hilal

The 30-year-old, who joined the Riyadh-based side from Bay FC last month, topped a fan poll conducted by the league body on X, claiming 55 per cent of the 37,560 votes cast.

Moroccan forward Ibtissam Jraïdi of Al Ahli came second with 44 per cent, while Al Nassr’s Tanzanian striker Clara Luvanga polled just one per cent.

Confirming her award on Wednesday, the league posted, “In her first month in our league: 3 goals, 2 goal assists. Asisat Oshoala of Al Hilal wins the award for the best player of the month.”

Oshoala’s nomination came after a run of three matches in which she played every minute, scoring three goals and providing two assists.

Her form helped Al Hilal to a perfect start, with three wins from three and no goals conceded.

Her closest rival, Jraïdi, also produced three goals and two assists in the opening round of fixtures but could not prevent Al Ahli from slipping to one defeat.

Luvanga, meanwhile, leads the scoring charts with four goals and one assist from three matches for defending champions Al Nassr, who are chasing a fourth consecutive league crown.

The award announcement comes just two days before a mouth-watering classico clash, with Jraïdi’s Al Ahli facing Luvanga’s Al Nassr in a fixture expected to have major implications for the title race.

Both clubs will be eager to halt Al Nassr’s dominance, as the yellow-and-blue side have won every edition of the competition since its inception in 2022.

Oshoala’s arrival in Saudi Arabia has been widely viewed as a landmark for the women’s game in Nigeria.

She signed a two-year contract with Al Hilal in September after a brief spell in the United States with Bay FC.

Her reputation as Africa’s most decorated female footballer was cemented during her six years at Barcelona, where she scored 107 goals and made 19 assists in 149 appearances.

She won five consecutive Liga F titles, two UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies, and numerous individual accolades.

Earlier in her career, she also played for Arsenal and Liverpool in England and enjoyed a successful spell in China with Dalian Quanjian, where she won the league title.

At Al Hilal, she joins a growing Nigerian contingent in the Saudi league, which includes Ashleigh Plumptre and Francisca Ordega at Al-Ittihad, Chinonyerem Macleans at Al-Shabab, and Rita Chikwelu at Al-Riyadh.