One of the Lionesses’ top ten scorers of all time, striker Eniola Aluko was a frequent goalscorer for club and country.
The daughter of a Nigerian MP, Aluko and her family moved to Bimringham when she was just six months old. A junior with Leafield Athletic, Eni joined Bimringham City’s youth ranks, coming through alongside future England teammate Karen Carney.
She was just 14 when she made her first team debut, scoring against Leeds United, and would win the FA’s Young Player of the Year awardds.
After showing remarkable promise, Aluko joined Charlton Athletic in January 2004. Despite missing out on a treble, Aluko and the Addicks bounced back the following season, the striker providing an assist in a Community Shield win, before scoring and putting in a player-of-the-match performance in Charlton’s 2005 Women’s FA Cup win.
That season, the London side failed to defend the Women’s Premier League Cup, Aluko withdrawn early in the second half in a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal. However, she gained a measure of revenge the following year, scoring a first-half brace against the Gunners that proved enough to clinch the trophy.
Unfortunately, like many clubs during that period, the women’s side’s viability was tethered to the financial climate of their parent club: when the men’s side were relegated from the Premier League, financial support was duly withdrawn. Aluko made the short move across the capital to Chelsea, spending two seasons at Kingsmeadow before heading stateside.
Eni spent three years plying her trade in the US with Saint Louis Athletica, Atlanta Beat and Sky Blue FC before returning to these shores with her first club, Birmingham City. Her time at the DCS Stadium was brief, but she made an appearance off the bench in the 2012 Women’s FA Cup Final against former (and future) employers Chelsea, which City ultimately won on penalties.
Whilst at Chelsea, Aluko suffered similar final-day heartbreak to her Charlton days, missing on on the title on goal difference to Liverpool in 2014. She enjoyed arguably her best season in a Chelsea shirt in 2014-15, helping the Blues secure the title this time, as well as putting in another player-of-the-match performance in a Women’s FA Cup Final, laying on the assist for Ji So-yun’s winner at Wembley.
Though her role in the squad gradually diminished, Eni helped Chelsea to another two titles and collected a fourth Women’s FA Cup medal, stepping off the bench late on during a 3-1 win over Arsenal. She ended her playing career on a high with Juventus, finishing as the club’s top scorer and winning a domestic treble.
Eni’s presence was also keenly felt on the international scene. Making her debut at just 17 years old, scoring her first goal for the Lionesses eight months later. She was part of Hope Powell’s squads for Euro 2005 and the 2007 Women’s World Cup, and had cemented herself as a starting option by 2009, scoring three times and providing one assist in England’s run to the Euros final.
She represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games, featuring five times in total, and was later part of Lionesses squads that competed at the 2011 and 2015 Women’s World Cups, as well as the 2013 Euros. In total, Eni featured at six major tournaments for her country, and won her 100th cap in 2016.
In total, she scored 33 goals for the Lionesses, tied for seventh with another Hall of Famer, former teammate Carney, in the country’s all-time scoring charts.
Principal English clubs: Birmingham City, Charlton Athletic, Chelsea
Caps: 105 (33 goals)
Inducted: 2025
