Nigeria international, Asisat Oshoala has clinched the UEFA Women's Champions League Goal of the Season award for her spectacular bicycle kick against Benfica during a matchday one encounter for Barcelona, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

The accolade was awarded by UEFA’s Technical Observer panel.

Former Barcelona teammate Aitana Bonmati secured second place for her curling effort in the quarter-final second-leg win against Brann, while Lyon’s Delphine Cascarino took third for her long-range strike in the quarter-final second-leg victory over Benfica.

“The top ten goals of the 2023/24 UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign have been selected by UEFA’s Technical Observer panel, with Nigerian forward Asisat Oshoala taking the prize for Goal of the Season thanks to her stunning bicycle kick for Barcelona against Benfica on Matchday 1,” the football body wrote.

The Nigerian netted the last goal with a stunning bicycle kick in the game Barcelona won 5-0 en route to claiming the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Oshoala transferred from Barcelona to National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Bay FC in February but was still aware a champions league medal after Barcelona won the European title.

By Olujimi Dare Ogun

Barcelona, who has been nursing a shoddy defense will travel to Naples next week to play Napoli in their Champions League Round of 16 first-leg match. However, Napoli is also concerned about the health of its top forward, Victor Osimhen who recently made a return after participating in the AFCON, Nigeriasoccernet.com gathered.

The Super Eagles, led by the Nigerian international, advanced all the way to the championship game before losing 1-0 to Cote d'Ivoire. But according to Sport, SkySport in Italy reports that he has struggled to get back to full health. Nor is it guaranteed how he will be by the following week.

Osimhen dropped three to four kilograms throughout the competition, and even though Nigeria came in second, they were greeted by the government and had a lot of events when they got back home. That was followed by a 16-hour travel following an arduous tournament.

Giacomo Raspadori or Giovanni Simeone will probably enter the side for Osimhen if he is unable to play right away. Barcelona's defense has been shaky lately, and Osimhen's strength and speed pose a serious danger to a disjointed team.

By Olaleye Oluwadamilola

Even though these players were arguably the best of their generations, none of them dominated the sport for more than a decade. That is why it will take something exceptional before any player can replicate what Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have done in the last decade.

Between them, they have scored over a thousand goals in the last seven years, and won almost every individual trophy there is to win in the last ten years. Ronaldo’s breakout year was the 2006/2007 season, but he ended third best in the FIFA Men’s Footballer of the year award in 2007, to Kaka and second placed Lionel Messi. The following year, Ronaldo became the first and only player to win the Best footballer award while playing for an English club: Manchester United.

Lionel Messi won the award in 2009 to 2012 consecutively, becoming the first player to win the top player award four times. In 2012, Messi became the first player to score 91 goals in a calendar which still stands as a record. During the 2011/2012 season, Messi scored 50 goals in the La Liga, scoring in 18 consecutive matches. Ronaldo also scored 46 in that same season. Betting on football that season had a lot of people smiling to the bank. All you had to do was bet on either Ronaldo or Messi to score in a match and you are sure to cash-out big.

These are just a few of their achievements: Ronaldo is the Champions League all-time top scorer with 127 goals followed closely by Lionel Messi on 112 goals. Ronaldo has won 29 team trophies, while Messi has won 34. Messi is the all-time top scorer in the La Liga with 419 goals, while Ronaldo is Real Madrid all time top scorer with 450 goals in all competitions. Messi has won the European Golden Shoe 6 times while Ronaldo has won it on 4 occasions. Both players have both scored more than 50 career hat-tricks. They are both their countries all-time top goal scorer. The list of their achievement is endless…

The only trophy missing from both player’s cabinet is the FIFA World Cup trophy. Although Ronaldo has two international trophies with his country, Argentina have been losing finalist at the World Cup in 2014, and the Copa America in 2015 and 2016. Even though they have not dominated the game playing for their country, the legacy that they have made in the last decade will take some time before it can be replicated or even surmounted.

Both players are the favourites to win the top goal scorer award in their respective leagues, even though they seem to be nearing the twilight of their career. Sports betting outfit Surebet247 have tipped Messi to finish as top goal scorer in the UEFA Champions League at 5.00 odds while Ronaldo follows closely with 6.00 odds placed on him winning the award.

English Premier League, La Liga, German and Italian clubs monitored Nigeria international Moses Simon during Thursday’s Europa League clash between Gent and Sporting Braga.

Portuguese newspaper Ojogo is reporting that scouts representing Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona and Bayern Munich were at the Estádio Municipal de Braga to run the rule over the top stars in both teams.

In addition, representatives of AC Milan, Sevilla, Atlético Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen attended the game.

Simon, 21, was one of the best players on the pitch against Sporting Braga before he was replaced in the 40th minute after picking up an injury.

The Super Eagles winger has been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in the past .

credit: allnigeriasoccer

With pressure mounting on Arsene Wenger, Enrique was asked what he thought of the Arsenal boss and was full of praise for his opposite number while adding “that would be impossible here” about Wenger’s length of tenure at one club.

“To be at the same club for so long shows his quality as a manager and also his desire to keep going in the job,” Enrique said.

“I cannot talk about his current situation but if he has been there for that long, it says something about his capability.

Antalyaspor star Samuel Eto’o has revealed that there is no doubt about it – Lionel Messi is better Cristiano Ronaldo.

Eto’o also stated that he watched Messi grow into the player he is today and that the Argentinian magician will continue to be the best for the next decade.

“I saw him grow at Barcelona. And I can say, without any doubt, that he is better than Cristiano Ronaldo,” Eto’o said on the Beyaz Show.

“He’s the best player in the world and he will be so for 10 more years.”

Eto’o also joked that he was the star during his time at Barcelona not Messi.

“I didn’t play with [Lionel] Messi, [Messi] played with me,” he said.

Eto’o is widely regarded as being a Barcelona legend winning every title in domestic and European football at the club.

The Cameroon international also won the treble including the Champions League in Italy with Inter Milan under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho. Eto’o also won the World Club Cup at Inter and UEFA Super Cup at Chelsea.

Messi won the Ballon d’Or title for the fourth time this year and has won every domestic and European trophy he has competed in at Barcelona.

Real Madrid aren't willing to give up on their pursuit of Barcelona maestro Neymar and have reportedly added the Brazil superstar to a 12-man summer-transfer shortlist featuring some of Europe's biggest names.

That's according to Spanish newspaper Marca, who claimed Los Merengues will target the Blaugrana talisman as they look to make changes across their squad at the end of this season.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo feature in most people's idea of a dream five-a-side, but not for PSV defender Jetro Willems.

PSV full-back Jetro Willems showed he has no shortage of self-confidence by picking himself five times in a dream five-a-side team.

The Netherlands international was asked to name his ideal side during a regular feature on UEFA's Champions League website.

And Willems shunned the likes of modern stars Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, as well as legends such as Pele and Diego Maradona, in favour of selecting himself in every position.

"I would pick myself five times!" Willems told UEFA's official website. "Believe me, you win the Champions League with that side."

We asked PSV defender Jetro Willems for his dream five-a-side team.

He went with this... pic.twitter.com/RJwoUEueXC

— Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 11, 2016

Willems will hope to be in Champions League action for PSV on Tuesday when they travel to Atletico Madrid with their last-16 tie goalless following the first leg.

Read more at http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/psv-stars-dream-team-features-only-one-man-and-its-not-messi-or-ronaldo#4JDVah6ZPuLaX8Dq.99

Bartra, 25, initially started out with Barcelona's city rivals Espanyol as a child, but moved Barca's famed La Masia academy at the age of just 11.

The centre back has made his way up through the ranks at the Camp Nou, and having made his first-team debut at just 19 back in 2010, Bartra has continued to develop in Catalunya.

Bartra has now made 99 appearances for Barca, but at 25, he may be looking to leave the club in search of first-team football, given that Javier Mascherano and Gerard Pique are Luis Enrique's first-choice partnership in the heart of defence.

Now, Spanish newspaper Sport suggest that Bartra is a target for a host of clubs, with Manchester United and Tottenham keen on the six-cap Spanish international, along with Porto.

Tottenham are set to return to the Champions League, and manager Mauricio Pochettino should have some money to work with in the transfer market, but signing Bartra would be something of a surprise.

Belgian international duo Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld have struck up a superb partnership this season, whilst Kevin Wimmer has filled in admirably for the currently-injured Vertonghen.

Bartra would surely only leave Barcelona for guaranteed first-team football, and it seems unlikely that Pochettino would break up the Alderweireld-Vertonghen partnership for Bartra, regardless of how impressive he can be when given a chance.

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United may be a more realistic destination considering their problems in defence, and unless Barcelona can convince Bartra that his long-term future lies at the Camp Nou, they may end up losing one of their academy products this summer.