Shukurat Oladipo has capped one of the most remarkable breakthrough seasons by a Nigerian player in European women’s football, winning the Serie A Femminile Best Defender award and a league title with AS Roma, just 15 months after leaving FC Robo Queens in Lagos.
The 21 year old centre-back made 18 league appearances for Roma during the 2025-26 campaign, starting 15 of them. Her numbers told the story of a defender who transformed Roma’s backline: the Italian side conceded only nine goals in the matches she featured in, remained unbeaten across all 18 of those games, and kept 11 clean sheets during her involvement. Roma sealed the Serie A Femminile title with a 2-0 victory over Genoa Women on the final day of the season, their third championship in four years. As reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng, Oladipo also earned a place in the league’s official Team of the Season alongside Roma midfielders Manuela Giugliano, Giulia Dragoni and Giada Greggi.
Speaking on social media after collecting the award, Oladipo captured the weight of her journey in a few words. “From Robo Queens to AS Roma. From Nigeria to Italy. I never stopped believing,” she wrote. “2025/26 Serie A Femminile Best Defender. League champions. All glory to God.” She also thanked her family, Roma teammates, coaching staff and supporters across Nigeria and Italy for their backing throughout the season.
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From Mushin to the Top of Italian Football
Oladipo’s path to becoming the best defender in Italian women’s football is the kind of story Nigerian football needs to tell more often. She grew up in Mushin, Lagos, and developed through local clubs before joining FC Robo Queens, one of the NWFL’s most productive academies for women’s talent. She originally played as a striker before moving into midfield and eventually settling into central defence, a positional evolution that gave her an attacker’s understanding of movement and space.
Her performances for Nigeria’s youth teams at the 2024 African Games and the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup attracted attention in Europe, leading to her move to Roma in February 2025. The first few months were not easy. She struggled for regular minutes as she adapted to the pace and tactical structure of Serie A Femminile football. But by the time the 2025-26 season began, she had become one of the first names on the team sheet. Nigerian women’s football fans keen to place bets on WAFCON matches can use the YOHAIG welcome offer for an enhanced opening bonus.
Oladipo Central to Super Falcons’ WAFCON Plans
The timing of her emergence could not be better for Nigeria. The Super Falcons enter the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco as defending champions, having defeated the host nation in last year’s final. The stakes are also higher than usual: a semi-final finish at the tournament is required for qualification to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Nigeria have been drawn in Group C alongside Zambia, Egypt and Malawi. Zambia captain Barbra Banda will be one of the most dangerous forwards in the competition, and Oladipo’s recovery pace and reading of the game will be tested from the very first match. Her campaign at Roma has shown she can handle elite attackers with composure, and head coach Nkechi Obi now has one of the most in-form defenders on the continent available to her. Oladipo still has the Coppa Italia Femminile final against Juventus Women on May 24 to play before she switches her attention fully to the national team setup. Fellow Nigerian forward Rinsola Babajide is also expected to feature in that final, giving Roma a strong Nigerian presence on both sides of the ball at the Wembley of Italian women’s football. Fans who want to back Nigeria’s WAFCON campaign can check the Bet9ja sign-up bonus page before the group stage begins.
Oladipo’s Serie A Femminile Best Defender award is the most prestigious individual honour received by a Nigerian women’s club player in the Italian top flight. At just 21, she has already reset what is possible for players who come through the domestic system and it will not be long before bigger clubs across Europe take notice.
📌 Did You Know?
- Shukurat Oladipo originally played as a striker before transitioning through midfield and eventually settling at centre-back. That positional journey gives her a forward’s understanding of attacking movement, which helps her anticipate danger before it develops.
- AS Roma Women’s third Serie A Femminile title in four seasons places them among the most dominant clubs in the recent history of Italian women’s football, challenging Juventus Women’s long reign at the top of the domestic game.
- FC Robo Queens, where Oladipo developed before her move to Europe, are one of the NWFL Premiership’s most consistent clubs and have a strong track record of producing players who go on to represent the Super Falcons.
- Rinsola Babajide, who plays alongside Oladipo at AS Roma, is also a Nigerian international. The two Super Falcons teammates will line up together in the Coppa Italia Femminile final against Juventus Women on May 24.
- Zambia captain Barbra Banda, who Nigeria will face in WAFCON Group C, is one of the most prolific strikers in African women’s football and has scored at multiple Olympic Games and WAFCON tournaments. She will be Oladipo’s biggest test at the tournament.
- Nigeria defeated Morocco in the final of the 2025 WAFCON to claim the title and qualify for the 2024 Women’s Paris Olympics. They enter the 2026 edition as defending champions for only the third time in the tournament’s history.
- The Serie A Femminile Team of the Season alongside Oladipo included Estela Carbonell of Juventus, Ivana Andres of Inter Milan and Caterina Ambrosi of Parma in defence, confirming the quality of the individual award she received.
