Eni Aluko lifts lid on new Angel City role with Serena Williams and Hollywood A-listers

For Eni Aluko, taking the easy option has never been part of the attraction.

Having grown up on a council estate in Birmingham after migrating with her family from Nigeria, she has gone on to became a trailblazer for women’s football, representing England 102 times across five major tournaments, as well as Team GB at the 2012 Olympics, during a standout playing career featuring spells at top clubs including Chelsea and Juventus. In addition, Aluko did all this alongside training and practicing as a lawyer, whilst also making regular appearances on the media circuit.

But she has now arguably taken on her toughest challenge yet.

The former striker, 35, has become accustomed to leading the way in many aspects of her life to date, and her latest role as the first sporting director of the exciting, newly-formed women’s football franchise Angel City is no different.

Based in Los Angeles, the female-led National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) expansion team boasts a who’s who of famous names driving it forward, from founder Hollywood superstar Natalie Portman, to tennis icons Serena Williams and Billie Jean King, actress Eva Longoria, singer Becky G and TV host James Corden, as well as an abundance of U.S women’s football legends including Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy.

The project is shaking up the women’s soccer scene in a bid to tackle gender inequality - and they’ve chosen Aluko to build their team… from scratch.

“It’s been super busy, relentless really,” remarks Aluko, now a year into her post stateside. “Relentless, but it’s fun.”

In that time Aluko confesses to having had “sleepless nights” as she was handed a blank canvas on which to start from, since appointing a manager, Freya Coombe, and signing a whole roster of players