Eniola Aluko facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Eniola Aluko
MBE

Aluko with Saint Louis Athletica in 2009
Personal information
Date of birth	(1987-02-21) 21 February 1987 (age 38)
Place of birth	Lagos, Nigeria
Height	5 feet 3 inches (1.59 m)
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
	Leafield Athletic
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2004	Birmingham City
2004–2007	Charlton Athletic
2007–2009	Chelsea	28	(15)
2009–2010	Saint Louis Athletica	25	(10)
2010	Atlanta Beat	14	(5)
2011	Sky Blue FC	15	(4)
2012	Birmingham City	13	(4)
2012–2018	Chelsea	73	(32)
2018–2019	Juventus	27	(15)
National team
2004–2016	England	102	(33)
2012	Great Britain	5	(0)
Honours Women's football Representing  England FIFA Women's World Cup Bronze 2015
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Eniola Aluko (born 21 February 1987) is a British football expert and former professional player. She played as a winger and striker. Eniola is also a regular TV commentator for football matches. She has worked for ITV, BT Sport, Amazon Prime, and Fox Sports in the USA.

Aluko was the first Sporting Director for Angel City FC in the American National Women's Soccer League. Before that, she was Sporting Director at Aston Villa W.F.C. from January 2020 to June 2021.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Aluko moved to Birmingham, England, when she was six months old. She played 102 games for the England national team from 2004 to 2016. She played in several big tournaments, including the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. She also represented Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Aluko played for many top clubs. These include Birmingham City, Charlton Athletic, and Chelsea in England. She also played for Saint Louis Athletica, Atlanta Beat, and Sky Blue FC in the American Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league. She retired from playing football in January 2020 after playing for Juventus.

Early Life and First Steps in Football

Where was Eniola Aluko born?

Eniola Aluko was born in Lagos, Nigeria. Her parents are Gbenga and Sileola. When she was six months old, her family moved to Birmingham, England.

She grew up playing football with her brother, Sone Aluko, and his friends. She also enjoyed other sports like tennis. As a child, Aluko was a fan of Manchester United.

How did Aluko start her football career?

Aluko began her football journey at Leafield Athletic Ladies. She then joined Birmingham City Ladies' youth team. There, she played under manager Marcus Bignot alongside her future England teammate, Karen Carney. Aluko scored in her first game for Birmingham when she was just 14 years old.

Club Career Highlights

Playing for Birmingham City (2001–2004)

On 7 April 2002, Aluko, at 15, played for Birmingham in the FA Women's Premier League Cup Final. Her team lost 7–1 to Fulham. However, Birmingham won promotion to the top league that season.

Aluko's goalscoring in the 2002–03 season was so impressive that her manager called her "the Wayne Rooney of women's football." In 2003, she was named Young Player of the Year at The FA Women's Football Awards.

Time at Charlton Athletic (2004–2007)

Aluko moved to Charlton Athletic in January 2004. She helped Charlton win the FA Women's Premier League Cup in March 2004. They beat Fulham 1–0.

In the 2003–04 season, Charlton lost the FA Women's Cup final to Arsenal. They also narrowly missed out on the league title to Arsenal.

Aluko helped Charlton win the FA Women's Community Shield in August 2004. She set up the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Arsenal. Her speed was a key part of her game.

She scored the winning goal in the 2005 FA Women's Cup Final against Everton. Charlton won 1–0. Aluko also scored two goals in the 2006 FA Women's Premier League Cup Final, helping Charlton beat Arsenal 2–1.

First Spell at Chelsea (2007–2009)

After Charlton's women's team lost support from their main club, Aluko joined Chelsea Ladies in July 2007.

Playing in the USA (2009–2011)

Eniola Aluko playing against the Boston Breakers in 2010

In October 2008, St. Louis Athletica in the USA signed Aluko. She was their top scorer in the 2009 season with six goals. She also had four assists, helping her team finish second.

When Saint Louis Athletica closed down in 2010, Aluko joined Atlanta Beat. Later, she was traded to Sky Blue FC in December 2010.

Return to Birmingham City (2012)

When the WPS league paused in 2012, Aluko decided to return to England. She signed with Birmingham City, saying they felt "more stable."

Aluko with Birmingham City in October 2012

In 2012, Aluko scored five goals and made two assists for Birmingham City. The team finished second in both the league and the FA WSL Cup. However, Birmingham won the 2012 FA Women's Cup Final by beating Chelsea on penalties. This was the club's first major trophy. Aluko came on as a substitute in that final.

Second Spell at Chelsea (2012–2018)

After one season at Birmingham, Aluko rejoined Chelsea in December 2012. In her first season back, she scored six goals and made three assists. Chelsea also reached the final of the 2013 International Women's Club Championship, losing to INAC Kobe Leonessa.

In 2014, Aluko scored seven goals and had one assist. Chelsea nearly won the league title but lost on the last day due to goal difference.

Aluko was nominated for the 2014–15 PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year award. She won Chelsea Ladies' Player of the Year for 2014–15. She was also chosen for the 2015 PFA WSL Team of the Year.

In 2015, Aluko played in the first FA Women's Cup Final held at Wembley Stadium. Her Chelsea team beat Notts County 1–0 to win their first major trophy. Aluko was named Player of the Match and assisted the winning goal.

Her role at Chelsea became smaller after the club signed new players. On 16 May 2018, it was announced that Aluko would leave Chelsea. She scored in her final game for the club.

Playing for Juventus (2018–2019)

Aluko signed with Italian club Juventus on 6 June 2018. She later spoke about some negative experiences in Turin, Italy.

In November 2019, Aluko announced she would leave Juventus after 18 months. She said her time there was a period of "great success and lots of learning." She returned to Britain in December, having won the Serie A league, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa Italiana with Juventus. She was also Juventus's top scorer in her last season. On 15 January 2020, Aluko announced her retirement from professional football.

International Career

Playing for England

Aluko playing for England in 2014

Aluko was first called up to the England team when she was 14. She chose to play for England because their coaches gave her a chance at international football. She explained that choosing England did not mean she didn't support Nigeria, as she felt both Nigerian and British.

She played for England's Under-17 and Under-19 teams. She scored on her Under-19 debut. At 16, she played in the UEFA Under-19 European Championship Finals in 2003. She then played for the Under-21 team.

Aluko made her senior debut for England at 17, in September 2004, against the Netherlands. Her first senior goal came in May 2005 against the Czech Republic. She scored two more goals in a 13–0 win against Hungary that October.

She played in UEFA Women's Euro 2005 while also studying for her A-Levels. She took a history exam on the day England lost to Denmark.

At the FIFA Women's World Cup 2007, Aluko played in group matches and the quarter-final. She later spoke about wanting more financial support for England's top female players.

Aluko played a bigger role in UEFA Women's Euro 2009. She scored against Russia and two more goals against Finland in the quarter-final. She also assisted a goal in the semi-final. England lost the final 6–2 to Germany.

Aluko scored against Switzerland in September 2010, helping England qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011. During the tournament, she was upset by criticism of her performance.

Aluko of England during a match against Montenegro, April 2014

As England qualified for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Aluko was the joint-top scorer in the qualifying rounds with 13 goals. This included her first hat-trick against Montenegro. At the World Cup, Aluko started England's first two group matches. She came on as a substitute in the third-place play-off against Germany. England won 1–0 after extra time, earning bronze medals. This was England's first-ever win against Germany.

Aluko was not called up to the national team after May 2016. The Football Association later apologized to Aluko. This was after an investigation found that racist remarks had been made to her and teammate Drew Spence.

England International Goals

Scores and results list England's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result	Competition	Scored
1	26 May 2005	Bescot Stadium, Walsall	Czech Republic	4–1	Friendly	1
3	27 October 2005	Tapolcia Stadium, Tapolca	Hungary	13–0	2007 FIFA World Cup Qualifying	2
4	8 March 2007	National Hockey Stadium, Milton Keynes	Russia	6–0	Friendly	1
5	27 October 2007	Bescot Stadium, Walsall	Belarus	4–0	2009 UEFA Championship Qualifying
6	10 March 2009	GSZ Stadium, Larnaca	Scotland	3–0	2009 Cyprus Cup
7	28 August 2009	Finnair Stadium, Helsinki	Russia	3–2	2009 UEFA Championship
9	3 September 2009	Veritas Stadion, Turku	Finland	3–2	2009 UEFA Championship	2
10	22 March 2010	Loftus Road, London	Austria	3–0	2011 FIFA World Cup Qual.	1
11	16 September 2010	Stadion Niedermatten, Wohlen	Switzerland	3–2	2011 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
12	19 September 2012	Bescot Stadium, Walsall	Croatia	3–0	UEFA Euro 2013 Qual.
13	11 March 2013	GSZ Stadium, Larnaca	New Zealand	3–1	2013 Cyprus Cup
14	26 June 2013	Pirelli Stadium, Burton	Japan	1–1	Friendly
15	12 July 2013	Arena Linköping, Linköping	Spain	2–3	Euro 2013
16	21 September 2013	Dean Court, Bournemouth	Belarus	6–0	2015 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
18	26 September 2013	Fratton Park, Portsmouth	Turkey	8–0		2
19	31 October 2013	5 Ocak Stadium, Adana	Turkey	4–0		1
20	17 January 2014	La Manga Stadium, La Manga Club	Norway	1–1	Friendly
21	2 March 2014	GSZ Stadium, Larnaca	Finland	3–0	2014 Cyprus Cup
22	5 April 2014	Falmer Stadium, Brighton and Hove	Montenegro	9–0	2015 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
24	8 May 2014	Greenhous Meadow, Shrewsbury	Ukraine	4–0		2
25	14 June 2014	Traktar Stadium, Minsk	Belarus	3–0		1
26	19 June 2014	Arena Lviv, Lviv	Ukraine	2–1
27	21 August 2014	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff	Wales	4–0
30	17 September 2014	Stadion Pod Malim Brdom, Petrovac	Montenegro	10–0		3
31	4 March 2015	GSZ Stadium, Larnaca	Finland	3–1	2015 Cyprus Cup	1
32	9 March 2015	GSP Stadium, Nicosia	Netherlands	1–1	2015 Cyprus Cup
33	23 October 2015	Yongchuan Sports Center, Chongqing	China	1–2	Dewellbon Cup

Playing for Great Britain

2012 London Olympics

In June 2012, Aluko was chosen for the Great Britain squad for the 2012 London Olympics. She played in Great Britain's first official game, a friendly draw against Sweden.

At the Olympics, Aluko started all three group matches. Great Britain won against New Zealand, Cameroon, and Brazil. The Brazil match was played in front of over 70,000 fans at Wembley. Great Britain won their group and moved to the quarter-finals. Aluko also started in the quarter-final, where Great Britain lost 2–0 to Canada.

Missing the 2016 Olympics

Even though England finished third at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Great Britain did not send a women's team to the 2016 Rio Olympics. This meant Aluko could not add to her five appearances for Great Britain.

Executive Career in Football

What roles has Aluko held after playing?

In January 2020, a week after retiring from playing, Aluko became the director of women's football at Aston Villa.

In May 2021, Aluko became the sporting director for Los Angeles-based Angel City FC. This was before their first season in the American National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). In August 2022, she moved to a director of recruitment role. She left Angel City in January 2023.

In April 2024, Aluko made history. She became the first African woman to join the board of Italy’s top women's football club, FC Como Women. This was part of Mercury 13, an investment group focused on women's football.

In July 2024, Eni Aluko started a £60,000 scholarship with Brunel University. This scholarship helps future lawyers and sports stars with their studies and careers. It will support five law students and ten sports students over two years. They will also receive sponsored sports gear from Adidas.

Personal Life and Achievements

What did Eniola Aluko study?

While playing for England in Women's Euro 2005, Aluko was also taking her A-Levels. She later studied law at Brunel University and graduated with a top degree in 2008. She planned to practice entertainment law in both England and the United States.

Aluko also completed a Legal Practice Course. She had training at law firms. In March 2015, she decided to focus fully on playing professional football.

Who is Eniola Aluko's family?

Her younger brother, Sone Aluko, is also a retired footballer. He played for clubs like Ipswich Town. He played for England youth teams but later chose to represent Nigeria. Aluko's father was a Member of Parliament in Nigeria.

Other notable achievements

Aluko is a Christian. In 2020, she was listed in the Powerlist. This list recognizes the 100 most influential Black Britons.

In October 2022, Aluko was one of the first people inducted into the WSL Hall of Fame by the Football Association.

She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours. This award was for her services to football and charity.

Honours and Awards

Birmingham City

• FA WPL Cup runner-up: 2001–02
• FA WPL Northern Division: 2001–02
• FA Women's Young Player of the Year: 2002–03
• FA Women's Cup: 2011–12

Charlton Athletic

• FA WPL National Division runner-up: 2003–04, 2004–05
• FA Women's Cup: 2004–05
• FA WPL Cup: 2005–06
• FA Women's Community Shield: 2004

Saint Louis Athletica

• Women's Professional Soccer regular season runner-up: 2009

Chelsea

• FA WSL: 2015, 2017, 2017–18
• FA Women's Cup: 2014–15, 2017–18
• International Women's Club Championship runner-up: 2013

Juventus

• Serie A: 2018–19
• Coppa Italia: 2018–19
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2019

England

• UEFA Women's Championship runner-up: 2009
• Cyprus Cup: 2009, 2013, 2015
• FIFA Women's World Cup third place: 2015

Individual

• Chelsea Ladies Player of the Year: 2014–15
• PFA WSL Team of the Year 2015, 2017
• FA WSL top scorer: 2016
• Women's Super League Hall of Fame: 2022

See also

In Spanish: Eniola Aluko para niños

• List of women's footballers with 100 or more international caps
• List of England women's international footballers
• List of sportswomen
• List of association football families