Asisat Oshoala won BBC’s women’s footballer of the year

Nigeria and Liverpool Ladies striker Asisat Oshoala

has won the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year

award after a vote by fans around the world, the

broadcaster announced on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old picked up the prize in Canada,

where she is preparing for the women’s World Cup

at which she will star for the Super Falcons.

She was the youngest player on a shortlist of

Veronica Boquete (FFC Frankfurt and Spain),

Nadine Kessler (VFL Wolfsburg and Germany), Kim

Little (Seattle Reign FC and Scotland) and Marta

(FC Rosengard and Brazil).

Oshoala, who signed for Liverpool in January, said

she felt “very happy and appreciated” at winning,

adding: “It’s a very good thing for me and also

motivation for the World Cup.

“I had a very good 2014 and had the opportunity

of going to the under-20’s Women’s World Cup with

Nigeria and I also won the Golden Ball and Golden

Boot, so I think maybe that added to the reason

why people voted for me.”

Nigeria’s under-20s lost to Germany in the final.

The Super Falcons are making their seventh

straight appearance at the World Cup, which starts

on June 6, and hoping to improve on their best

performance of reaching the quarter-finals in

1999.

They face the United States, Sweden and Australia

in the group stages.