Eniola Aluko is a former professional footballer who represented Chelsea, Juventus and England, making 104 appearances over 11 years and playing for Great Britain in the 2012 London Olympics. 

She leads a multi-hyphenate career after graduating from Brunel University with a First class honours in Law (LLB) and qualified as a UK solicitor. She is a football broadcaster, nominated author and a football executive holding notable roles such as the first-ever Sporting Director for the high-profile women’s football team Angel City FC in Los Angeles.

She appears regularly as a football analyst for ITV, BT Sport, Amazon and Fox Sports, covering the biggest international and club competitions across men’s and women’s football.

She was honoured with an MBE in November 2023. 

I was born in Nigeria and came to the UK as a baby. I was raised in Birmingham on a council estate for my first ten years. My memories of my childhood are fond. Football was a huge part of my life from a very young age and allowed me to assimilate and integrate as a young black girl into a group of boys in my local area very quickly. I was the odd one out growing up in the 90s playing football as a girl, which, looking back, came with some challenges, but football gave me so much confidence and allowed me to be comfortable with my difference. 

I was not taught how to play football; it was a gift from God that I was born with, and my environment allowed me to express that gift from a young age. My passion for football came from how it made me feel as a young girl - confident, popular and fearless. 

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