Tabitha ranked 2nd best for third consecutive month
Italy-based Malawian women’s football icon Tabitha Chawinga has been named the second best African women’s footballer for the third successive time by ESPN sports channel’s monthly rankings.
The channel rates the performance of women footballers and teams worldwide.
In an interview yesterday, the Scorchers captain said she hopes her stellar performance in Women’s Serie A and consistent ESPN rankings will boost her chances of getting nominated for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Africa Woman Footballer of the Year Award.
She said: “Having missed out of the CAF Awards nomination last year, I hope I will make the short-list this year.
“I know we have not really done well at national team level, but I hope my performance at club level will make a difference.”
The Scorchers captain has been outstanding in the Italian women’s top-flight in which she leads the scorers’ chart with 13 goals.
Just like the previous ranking, the Inter Milan forward trails reigning African Women’s Footballer of the Year Nigerian Asisat Oshoala.
The top four list is dominated by Nigerians as third and fourth-placed US-based Uchenna Kanu of Tigres UANL and Ashleigh Plumptre, who plays for Leicester City in England, are both from the West African country.
A statement posted on africa.espn.com, reads in part: “The new year began with a bang for African women’s football, with Barcelona’s Asisat Oshoala leading the charge.
“In any normal month, Chawinga would probably top the charts for her goal-scoring exploits since the new year began. Unfortunately for the Malawi star, Oshoala’s sensational goal return simply could not be outdone.
“Chawinga scored in the 4-0 win over Sampdoria in the women’s Serie A, before going on to net against them again in a 3-2 Coppa Italia win.
“Crucially, she then bagged a brace in the 4-1 derby win over AC Milan in Inter’s last fixture of the month. That result left Inter fourth in Serie A, 10 points behind league leaders Roma.
Tabitha was thrice nominated for the Africa Woman Footballer of the Year Award between 2017 and 2020.
On Oshoala, ESPN says her 10 goals in the course of the month stood out.
It says:“Oshoala had an incredible start to the new year for Barcelona, who made history by becoming the first football team to win 50 league games in a row.
“Currently, they are sitting on top of Primera Iberdrola, which they are once again running away with.
“The 28-year-old from Ikorodu began the year with a goal against Sevilla before scoring twice against Sporting de Huelva and once again versus Real Sociedad.
“She then finished the month in tremendous fashion with back-to-back hat-tricks against Levante Las Planas and Granadilla Tenerife.”
