Al Ahly Club announced the signing of Senegalese striker Nde Awa Caset to strengthen its women's first football team, joining from Senegal's Etoile de la Médina after an exceptional season in which she was crowned the league's top scorer.
Awa Caset: Top scorer of the Senegalese league
According to the official page of Etoile de la Médina, Awa Caset joined Al Ahly's women's football team after being crowned the top scorer of the Senegalese league in 2026 with 31 goals.
The Senegalese striker's brilliance was no accident, as she revealed in an interview conducted in 2024 with the Senegalese website "dsports" the details of her beginnings in football and the difficulties she faced due to her passion for the game.
Football formed an essential part of Awa's life since childhood, especially as she grew up with the support of her mother, who was also a football player.
From the streets of Mbour to Etoile de la Médina
Awa Caset began her football career in the Senegalese city of Mbour, at a football academy, before moving to DSFA, and then to Thiampou, on her mother's advice.
Awa said: "I started in Mbour at a football academy run by Sheikh Tiao, and after a while, I moved to DSFA, then I went to Thiampou. It was my mother, who was also a football player, who suggested it to me."
In 2022, she joined Etoile de la Médina and quickly made her mark thanks to her technical skills and goal-scoring abilities, but her path was not easy, as she faced difficulties from a young age and was compared to men.
Awa Caset spoke about being bullied due to her appearance and her practice of football, saying: "When I was little, they often asked me if I was a boy or a girl."
She added: "It didn't hurt me. I would tell myself that it was just their opinion, and that I had goals I wanted to achieve. But now, when I go out, everyone knows that I am a girl. That is also normal, because when I was little, I looked a lot like boys."
Awa's suffering was not limited to words, as her mother, Anna Diop, revealed that she was subjected to violence by some of the neighborhood's young men due to her insistence on playing football.
Her mother told the "dsports" website: "Awa suffered a lot before reaching the level she is at today. My neighbors often sent their children to block Awa's way and hit her. Once, they hit her so hard that I was crying too. The other mothers would always tell her that a woman's place is in the kitchen, not on a football field. She was constantly insulted by our neighbors, but her family always supported her."
Al Ahly striker dreams of playing for Lyon or Barcelona
Despite her beginnings in the streets of Mbour, Awa Caset's ambitions extended beyond Senegal's borders, as she dreams of playing for one of Europe's biggest clubs.
She said: "Since I was a child, I have dreamed of playing for a big team in Europe. Lyon and Barcelona are prominent clubs that have dominated women's football in recent years, and wearing the shirt of either would be a great honor for me. Ambition has always driven me to face the best players in the world and contribute to my team's success."
Awa Caset at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations
Al Ahly's new striker was included in Senegal's squad for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, which ended a few days ago, with the Senegalese team exiting the tournament in the group stage.
According to the "Flashscore" website, Awa Caset started the opening match against South Africa and received a rating of 6.2 out of 10, with the match ending in a 2-0 defeat for Senegal.
In the second match, Senegal defeated Kenya 1-0, and Awa Caset assisted the match's goal before being substituted at halftime, receiving a rating of 7.6 out of 10.
In the final group stage match, the Senegalese striker played the full match against Morocco, which ended in a goalless draw, and she received a rating of 6.5 out of 10.
