Shukurat Oladipo has been crowned the Best Defender of the 2025/26 Serie A Femminile season. The 21-year-old Super Falcons star was also named in the league’s official Team of the Season after anchoring AS Roma’s title-winning campaign.
Oladipo made 18 league appearances for Roma during the campaign. She was a pillar in a backline that conceded just nine goals while she was on the pitch. The team also kept eight clean sheets in those matches and remained unbeaten throughout her league involvement.
Her statistical output was impressive. Oladipo recorded 27 interceptions, 27 successful tackles, 70 clearances and 104 ball recoveries across 1,398 league minutes. Roma’s defensive solidity under her watch helped the side concede only nine goals in her 18 appearances, making it one of the strongest defensive records in the division.
Roma’s third title in four years
AS Roma sealed the Scudetto with a 2-0 victory over Ternana Women at the Stadio Tre Fontane on May 3. The win confirmed Roma as champions with two games to spare, taking them to 49 points and six clear of Inter Milan Women. The title is Roma’s third league crown in four seasons, establishing them as a dominant force in Italian women’s football, trailing only Juventus Women in total titles.
Oladipo was one of four Roma players included in the Serie A Femminile Team of the Season. She joined teammates Manuela Giugliano, Giada Greggi and Giulia Dragoni in the selection. Nigeria’s Rinsola Babajide also contributed to Roma’s title success, scoring on her league debut against Parma.
ALSO READ:
- Ajibade wins Woman of the Match award as Super Falcons beat Botswana to reach WAFCON quarter-finals
- Nigeria’s Super Falcons gear up for Algeria friendlies as 25 players get invites
- Paris Olympics: Waldrum invites Okeke, Ihezuo, Oshoala, 19 others for South Africa clash
- Liverpool retires Jota’s iconic No. 20 shirt in emotional tribute after tragic passing
Cup final and international future
Oladipo and Roma face Juventus Women in the Coppa Italia Femminile final on May 24 at Stadio Romeo Menti. A victory would complete a domestic double for the Giallorosse. Oladipo is also expected to be part of Nigeria’s squad for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where the Super Falcons will face Malawi, Zambia and Egypt in Group C. She was part of the Nigerian squad that won the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title.
For a young defender who once played barefoot on Lagos streets, the rise from Robo Queens to Rome has been swift. The Best Defender award now confirms her place among Italy’s elite.
