In Italy, twenty-one year old defensive prodigy Shukurat Oladipo was officially crowned the Best Defender of the 2025/26 Serie A Femminile season. The AS Roma powerhouse received the ultimate individual defensive prize at a glamorous league gala following a sensational domestic campaign that saw her club lift the Scudetto trophy.
Since joining AS Roma from the Nigeria Women Football League, Oladipo has grown into an indispensable asset for the Italian champions. Throughout the season, she made eighteen league appearances and proved to be an absolute wall in the backline, anchoring a defense that conceded the joint fewest goals in the entire division. Her remarkable tactical awareness, interceptions, and structural dominance not only earned her the defender of the year crown but also secured her a well-deserved place in the official Serie A Femminile Team of the Season. Oladipo will look to cap off her dream season on May 24 when Roma squares off against Juventus in the Coppa Italia final.
Meanwhile, across the English Channel, Super Falcons first choice goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie has taken the English Women Super League by storm. In her highly anticipated debut campaign with Brighton and Hove Albion Women, Nnadozie has been named in both the FotMob and WhoScored WSL Team of the Season.
The twenty-five year old shot stopper moved to England from Paris FC last summer and instantly transformed the Brighton backline. Nnadozie made nineteen league appearances, registering six clean sheets and recording a magnificent average match rating of 7.34 on FotMob. Statistically, her shot stopping abilities placed her among the elite tier of European goalkeepers, making critical saves from inside the penalty box and preventing over three clear goals per game to help Brighton secure a stable seventh place finish.
Nnadozie is the only Brighton player to break into the statistical Team of the Season, which was heavily dominated by league champions Manchester City. Her incredible debut season has established her as one of the finest keepers in English football history, and she will lead her team out at Wembley Stadium on May 31 for the crucial Women FA Cup final against Manchester City.
These simultaneous European honors mark a historic moment for Nigerian football, proving that the current generation of Super Falcons stars are not just participating in elite European leagues but are actively setting the standard as the very best players in their respective positions.