Michaela-Batya Bisi Abam (born 12 June 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. Born in the United States, she plays for the Cameroon national team. She previously played for Houston Dash and Sky Blue FC in the American National Women's Soccer League, Real Betis in the Spanish Primera División, Paris FC in the Division 1 Féminine, and West Virginia University.
Early life Abam was born in Houston, Texas. She attended Harmony Science Academy High School and played youth soccer with Texas Rush, which later became part of Houston Dynamo/Dash Youth Academy.
College career Abam played in a school-record 95 games for the Mountaineers, scoring 42 goals and 16 assists. In 2016, she scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over the University of North Carolina in the College Cup semi-final, leading WVU to their first-ever College Cup final.
Club career Sky Blue FC, 2018 Abam was selected by Sky Blue FC as the 4th overall pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft. In March she was named to the final roster for the 2018 season. After appearing in four games for Sky Blue, she was waived by the team on July 25.
Paris FC, 2018–2019 On 1 August 2018, Abam signed a one-year contract to play for Paris FC in France's Division 1 Féminine. She appeared in 10 league matches and scored one goal.
Real Betis, 2019–2020 On 7 August 2019, Abam signed a one-year contract to play for Spanish Primera División team Real Betis. She appeared in 15 league matches, scoring three goals, before competition was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 24 September 2020, she scored a hat-trick against Hispalis in the pre-season Andalusian Women's Cup quarterfinals. She appeared in five more league matches for Real Betis before leaving the club.
Houston Dash, 2021–2022 In August 2021, Abam signed for the Houston Dash in the NWSL, becoming the first player signed by the Dash who attended a Dash-affiliated youth club. Her first appearance was on 13 August 2021 against the Washington Spirit, where she scored the equalizing goal in a 2–2 draw.
On 20 March 2023, the Dash announced that the club had waived Abam.
Linköping FC, 2023–2026 On 4 April 2023, Damallsvenskan club Linköping FC announced that it had signed Abam.
International career Abam made her senior debut for Cameroon on 12 November 2018 in a 7–0 friendly win against Zambia, scoring twice. Then, she was called up to compete at the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations, but did not make any appearance by problems with her Cameroonian passport. In May 2019, she was named for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Career statistics International goals Scores and results list Cameroon's goal tally first No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 12 November 2018 Stade Municipal (Bingerville), Abidjan, Ivory Coast 7–0 Friendly
Honours West Virginia Mountaineers Big 12 Conference women's soccer tournament: 2014, 2016
Individual Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year: 2016
References
External links
West Virginia Mountaineers profile Linköping FC profile Sky Blue FC profile