Former Chelsea and England star Eni Aluko awarded MBE alongside Ian Wright
Former Lioness Eniola Aluko has been awarded an MBE in King Charles' first Birthday Honours list.
The broadcaster and football executive, who has played at three World Cups, three European Championships, an Olympic games and is one of the WSL's all-time top goalscorers, has been recognised for her services to football and charity.
Aluko joins Arsenal legend and fellow pundit Ian Wright on the King's honours list.
The recognition arrives shortly after the former Chelsea star also became one of the first inductees into the WSL Hall of Fame by the Football Association last year. Aluko claimed three league titles during her second stint with Chelsea between 2012 and 2018.
The 36-year-old has long used her platform to inspire change on a global scale. Aluko has worked heavily with charities such as Saving Lives, Charity Water and Common Goal.
This month, Aluko featured at Soccer Aid in support of Unicef and last year turned out for Sunday league side Pevensey and Westham FC after the Sussex outfit signed the forward for £5 on eBay as part of a raffle supporting the charity Football Beyond Borders.
Aside from her myriad philanthropy efforts, Aluko regularly features across football punditry since retirement in 2019 and is known for breaking down barriers for women and ethnic minorities in football's media industry.
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Aluko has been a staunch and vocal advocate of equality and diversity in football from grassroots to boardroom level. Aluko took on the Football Association in a long legal dispute over alleged discriminatory racial remarks made by former England head coach Mark Sampson during her playing days. In 2017, she received an apology from the FA.
ITV pundits Eni Aluko and Ian Wright during the Arnold Clark Cup match between England Lionesses and Spain at Carrow RoadIn 2014, Aluko appeared on the BBC ’s Match of the Day, the first woman to appear as a pundit on the show. She provided commentary for ITV ’s coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and for Fox Sports’ coverage of the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
This year, Aluko hosted the inaugural Women's Football Awards alongside Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher.
Following retirement, Aluko pursued roles in the upper echelons of women’s football, beginning with a sporting director role at Aston Villa Women in 2020 before taking on the same role at NWSL’s Angel City in Los Angeles ahead of the franchise’s inaugural season in 2021. She has since transitioned to the club’s director of recruitment.
With over 100 caps for her country, Aluko was called into the England set-up as a 14-year-old and debuted at the age of 17 against the Netherlands in 2004. The forward scored 33 goals for England, 13 of which arrived during qualification for the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Aluko’s final major tournament with England.
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