10 Best Female Footballers In The World Right Now
In the modern world of will and determination to succeed at the highest level, gender plays no role whatsoever in bringing out one’s true potential in the things that one loves. Men’s football may be much more far-reached than the female counterpart but the latter has significantly caught the eye of many as the beautiful and bold beasts take the centre stage to write their names on the history books.
FIFA initiated the first female World Cup in 1991 and within a decade its popularity blossomed many folds as a reported 1,194,221 tickets were sold for the 1999 Women’s World Cup. Even UEFA started organizing tournaments for women in the mid-1980s which has provided significantly to the shape of the game in its present professional form.
Over the years, many talented and gifted players have graced the field but only the best among the rest have achieved at the highest level. Keeping everything in perspective, let us have a look at some of the best female footballers in the world right now, who have taken the world by storm.
Here are the 10 best female footballers in the world right now.
10. Lena Oberdorf
Lena Oberdorf is a defensive midfielder who plays for the German national team and VFL Wolfsburg. She is undoubtedly one of the best talents in the women’s circuit currently, mostly because of how versatile she is as a player. You can play her as a centre-back, a full-back, a defensive midfielder, or a central midfielder and she won’t disappoint anywhere. She was named the Best Young Player in the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022. She was also the key in helping Wolfsburg win the league and cup double in the 2021-22 season.
9. Aitana Bonmati
Aitana Bonmati is the perfect epitome of a La Masia product. Bonmati showcases the style of football instilled by La Masia on the field. Her partnership with Alexia Putellas is aesthetic to watch and you just cannot take your eyes off of them. The duo has made such an impact that according to a newspaper, it was “inevitable to feel echoes of Xavi and Iniesta”. She’s becoming an excellent goal scorer as well with 17 goals to her name in the Champions League and Primera Division. She is one of the best female footballers in the world right now.
8. Marie-Antoinette Katoto
Marie-Antoinette Katoto is a lethal finisher and is one of the fastest forwards in world football. Earlier this year, she became PSG’s leading goal scorer with 132 goals. In the last 3 years, she has shown consistency with France, scoring 24 goals in 28 games for them. In France’s Division 1 Feminines, Katoto won the Player of the Year award and the Golden Boot. It has been over a decade since Katoto joined PSG. However, she made her first team debut just a few years ago, in November 2018.
7. Pernille Harder
Pernille Harder missed a major chunk of the season owing to a knee injury, however, she ended her season with a bang. Her solo goal against Manchester United showed that she might have missed a few games in the season, but there never was any dip in her form. In fact, she is getting better with each passing season and that’s just how top-quality players are built. Before joining Chelsea, the 29-year-old finished as the Ballon d’Or runner-up. After joining Chelsea in 2020, Pernille Harder has already won a League Cup, two WSL titles, and two FA Cups.
6. Wendie Renard
Wendie Renard is one of the most decorated players in women’s football history. She plays as a Centre-Back for France and Lyon. She has 8 UEFA Women’s Champions League titles, 14 domestic League titles, 9 French Cups to her name. Furthermore, she has made it to the FIFPro World XI a total of 6 times. She suffered an injury blow at the start of the 2021-22 season, but that did not stop her from leading Lyon to yet another UEFA Champions League title. She is one of the best female footballers in the world right now, who always steps up in the big games.
5. Catarina Macario
Catarina Macario undoubtedly had one of the best seasons of her career, so much so that she had to be in the list of the best female footballers currently. Many call her the future of the US Women’s National Team. However, in June 2022, she suffered an ACL injury which ruled her out of the majority of the 2022-23 season. The American joined Lyon in January 2021 and in her first full season with the French side, she managed to win the UCL with her impeccable performance. She scored 9 goals and provided two assists in the Champions League, bringing her tally to 23 goals across all competitions.
4. Vivianne Miedema
Vivianne Miedema is undoubtedly one of the best female footballers in the world right now. In June 2022, Vivianne Miedema became the only female footballer to cross 100 goal contributions in the FA Women’s Super League. On top of having godly goal-scoring stats, the Dutch superstar also averages an assist every two games. She is the leading goal-scorer in the Women’s Super League with 74 goals to her name. Off the field, she shows her classy nature as she uses her influence and platform to recognize the importance of mental health.
3. Caroline Graham Hansen
Without a shadow of a doubt, Caroline Graham Hansen makes it to the list of best female players in the world and why not? She had an incredible season with FC Barcelona. Her omission from major individual awards does not do justice to the kind of campaign she had. Norwegian is one of the biggest reasons why Alexia Putellas and Co. were able to score as many goals as they did in the season. The right-winger managed to provide 19 assists, the highest for FC Barcelona, and also bagged 11 goals in the season. Ever since she joined the Spanish club in 2019, they have managed to win 9 out of possible 12 trophies which shows how successful she has been with the club.
2. Sam Kerr
Sam Kerr is an Australian forward who plays for Chelsea FC. She won various awards in the 2021-22 season, and deservedly so. She won the 2021-22 PFA Player of the Year award, thanks to the 20 goals she scored in the league. Kerr created history last season as she became the only female player in the history of football to win the Golden Boot award in three different leagues on three different continents. In the summer of 2022, she further cemented her name in the history books as she became only the first woman in the history of the game to feature on the cover of the FIFA video game’s global edition, alongside Kylian Mbappe.
1. Alexia Putellas
Alexia Putellas is easily the best female footballer in the world and it is evident by the advertising boards around the city. Alexia Putellas has replaced the face of the great Lionel Messi on the advertising boards in the city of Barcelona. The Spaniard has had a major role to play in bringing success to FC Barcelona as she helped them win three trophies in the 2021-22 season. They swept all the domestic titles with a 100% win rate and only lost two games in the season, one of which was the UCL final. She was the leading goal scorer for FC Barcelona with 35 goals in the season.