Goal, a renowned football news outlet has revealed the names of the 25 most outstanding women football players in the last 25 years. The ranking has considered women footballers who marveled and dazzled at different football competitions since 2000.
Historically, TheFA.com states: “The first recorded women’s football match was on 7 May 1881, when a supposed ‘Scotland’ women’s team played ‘England’ at Easter Road, Edinburgh.” In contrast, the National Women’s History Museum informs: “The first recorded soccer match that involved women was in 1628. The first unofficial women’s World Cup occurred in Italy in 1970. In 1991, FIFA held “The First FIFA World Championship for Women” where games were only 80 minutes. It wasn’t until 1995 that the first official, FIFA-sponsored Women’s World Cup happened.”
Putting women football history in hindsight, iNaijanow highlights some key factors considered for the selection of the 25 most outstanding women football players. The factors include the number of individual awards, club competitions won, and national and international achievements.
Brazilian all-time great, Marta and Germany’s best ever, Birgit Prinz have been put at numbers one and two respectively. Below are the 25 names:
- Marta
Marta is from Brazil. She sits on top of the mountain of the 25 most outstanding women football players in the last 25 years. She is into her 24th year of her football career, currently plying her trade in the United States at the club level. She has won FIFA’s Women Player of The Year for a whopping record of six times. Unfortunately, she only no gold medal but three Olympic silver medals and a FIFA silver medal to her name.
- Birgit Prinz
Prinz is from Germany. To some analyst, they believe she’s qualified to be called the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T) in women football. She won the 2001, 2005 and 2009 European titles. She also won a back-to-back World Cup in 2003 and 2007. She was a nightmare of defenders and goalkeepers. She however won a single Olympics gold medal throughout her career.
- Christine Sinclair
Sinclair is from Canada. She played for her country for 23 years. She was key to the Canadian team’s victory at the 2021 FIFA World Cup. She won club titles with Portland in the United States National Women Soccer League (NWSL).
- Homare Sawa
Sawa is from Japan. She showed her skilled right from 2000s when she played professional club football in US. She was the captain of the Japanese team that won the 2011 FIFA World Cup, winning the golden boot and golden ball.
- Abby Wambach
Wambach is from the United States. Goal refers to her as one of the US women football icons. She helped her country win the 2004 Olympics gold medal. She is clinical in front of goal. She scored 23 goals in 37 matches (4 FIFA World Cup tournaments and 2 Olympics games).
- Ada Hegerberg
Hegerberg is from Norway. She has an astonishing record in the Champions League, with 60 goals from 61 matches. She was instrumental to her club, Lyon winning the 2022 Champions League final against Barcelona.
- Kelly Smith
Smith is from England. She played for the three Lionness, and was her country’s highest goalscorer of all-time. She won no fewer than 15 trophies and titles while at Arsenal, including the Champions League.
- Carli Lloyd
Lloyd is from the United States. She won the Olympics football gold medal in 2012 and a FIFA World Cup in 2015. She is the only player to have scored a hat trick in a World Cup final.
- Christie Pearce
Pearce is from United States. Her football career spanned 18 years at the national level. Historically, she is the fourth most capped player in women football. She won three successive Olympics medals. She also has the 2015 World Cup title to her name.
- Lotta Schelin
Schelin is from Sweden. She scores goals with flair. She won three European titles with Lyon. She scored 41 times in 53 apperanaces in the Women European Champions League.
- Wendie Renard
Renard is from France. She debuted for Lyon women side at the age of 16. She won a total of 16 League and 10 Cup titles for Lyon. Although, she never won a World Cup trophy fro the French team, her goalscoring instincts is always talked about, with 155 goals for Lyon.
- Hope Solo
Solo is from United States. She is a goalkeeper. She helped the US secure back-to-back Olympics gold medals in football in 2008 and 2012. Her brilliant saves helped the United States win the 2015 FIFA World Cup.
- Nadine Angerer
Angerer is from Germany. She is a goalkeeper. She won the FIFA Women’s Player of The Year Award in 2013. She has a record of keeping five clean sheets in six matches when Germany won the Euros.
- Alexia Putellas
Putellas is from Spain. She has won three Euros and a FIFA World Cup for her country. She won the inaugural edition of the Women Ballon d’Or in 2018, and won it again in 2019. She is also a Champions League winner with Barcelona female side. She has won many League and Cup titles as well.
- Aitana Bonmati
Bonmati is from Spain. She was the Spanish team best player at Euros 2022. At 26 years, she is the youngest in the 25 Most Oustanding Women Football Players. She has already won five league titles and Champions League with Barcelona women side.
- Anja Mittag
Mittag is from Germany. She won the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the German team in 2007, and an Olympics gold medal in 2016. She also won three Euros for her country.
- Kerstin Garefrekes
Garefrekes is from Germany. She is a versatile football player. She has to her name two FIFA Women’s World Cup trophies, two Euros trophies and Olympics football bronze medals.
- Pernille Harder
Harder is from Denmark. She has won titles while playing in the Leagues in Sweden, England and Germany. She helped Denmark reach the finals of the Euros in 2017.
- Kim Little
Little is from Scotland. She played for Arsenal female team, raking a total of 11 titles. In 2017, she helped her country secure qualifications for its first Euros and FIFA World Cup.
- Hanna Ljungberg
Ljungberg is from Sweden. She helped Sweden win her first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2003. She boasts of 196 and 72 goals for club and country respectively.
- Vivianne Miedema
Miedema is from The Netherlands. The goal poacher scored a brace in the finals to win the 2017 Euros for the Dutch side. She won titles at Arsenal and Bayern.
- Sam Kerr
Kerr is from Australia. She helped her country win the Asian Cup in 2010. She plays for Chelsea women team, where she has been banging in goals for fun. She has won several Cup Competitions for Chelsea.
- Alexandra Popp
Popp is from Germany. She ranks third on the list of all-time goalscorers for the German women team. She is dangerous in front of goal. She helped Germany win a football gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
- Aya Miyama
Miyama is from Japan. She has won the Asian Women Player of the Year Award three times. She contributed immensely to Japan’s victory at winning the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2011. She won a silver medal with the Japanese football team at the 2012 Olympics in London.
- Caroline Graham Hansen
Hansen is from Norway. She plies her trade with Barcelona. She is known as a mesmerizing winger. She played a critical role in Barcelona’s women team quadruple achievement. She had 59 goal contribution (33 goals and 26 assists) in the 2023/2024 football season.
Football-wise, Goal believes the 25 women footballers highlighted above are the greatest of all time (GOATs) of the 21st Century. Unfortunately, no single African play ticks the box. More so, no former or current player from Nigeria’s Super Falcon team makes the list of the 25 most outstanding women football players in the last 25 years.
Recall that Nigeria women’s football has dominated Africa since the early 1990s. From the days of amazing team captain, Florence Omagbemi in the early 2000s to goal machines – Mercy Akhide, later Perpetua Nkwocha, and the most decorated African women football player of all time, Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria’s women side have always shone they are no pushovers.
Meanwhile, a writer has opined that the Super Eagles of Nigeria are top contenders for the 2025 African Cup of Nations. You can exclusive sports news like this, articles and other gists on iNaijanow regularly.
Do you think at least one Nigerian should have made the list of the 25 most outstanding women football players in the last 25 years?
