Super Falcons' Oshoala to battle Real Madrid duo and Man United's Rashford for Ballon d'Or award

Nigeria International and Barcelona Femeni forward Asisat Oshoala has been nominated for the Socrates Award by France Football.

Oshoala leads a list of five nominees for the award made public by Ballon d’Or organisers France Football.

The Socrates Award is given to recognise players for their charitable work off the pitch and was introduced last year with Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane the winner of the maiden edition.

There are two women on the list this year with the  28-year-old a frontrunner for the 2023 Socrates Award with four other major contenders.

Oshoala will battle Manchester United superstar Marcus Rashford, Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior and Antonio Rudiger, and Alex Morgan.

According to the organisers, France Football, Super Falcons’ Oshoala has been recognised for her football academy, the Asisat Oshoala Academy.

“Oshoala Academy aims to give access to its beneficiaries to high quality football training as well as education on life skill,” France Football stated.

It added that the Oshoala Academy also empowers young women through sports, turning beneficiaries into community role models and ambassadors for the skills they picked up.

Nigeria’s Oshoala is currently with the Super Falcons in Australia preparing to take on the world at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup hosted by New Zealand and Australia.

Rashford is well-known for his charity works off the pitch especially his campaign to end child food poverty and has been already honoured with an MBE back in England.

Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger makes the list for his work in his ancestral home in Sierra Leone. The defender is working hard to empower the underprivileged by financing various projects.

Rudiger’s teammate Vinicius is helping Brazil solve problems that border on social inequalities while Alex Morgan through her Alex Morgan Foundation is also empowering girls and mothers in the US.