Best Women's Soccer Players by Country

From fresh faces to proven stars, these elite talents will define the future of the game.

Best Women's Soccer Players by Country

Sam Kerr is captain of the Australia women's national team and has become one of the best footballers in the world.

The international women's soccer game has come a long way. Just look at the 2019 Women's Women World Cup in France and the elite talent on the rosters of the 24 nations in the tournament.

While traditional powers remain strong, new countries have joined them on the biggest stage. From fresh faces to proven stars, these women will define the future of the game at the highest level of competition.

But who are the most elite players? Meet the best player from each country in the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

Note: All stats are updated through June 11, 2019.

Honorable Mention: Ada Hegerberg, Norway

Age: 23 (born July 10, 1995, in Molde, Norway)

Position: Striker

Years played: 2010-present

Teams: Kolbotn (2010-11), Norwegian national team (2011-17), Stabaek (2012-13), Turbine Potsdam (2013-14), Olympique Lyonnais (2014-present)

Key stats: Two-time BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year (2017, 2019). 2018 Ballon d’Or Feminin. 2016 UEFA Best Women’s Player in Europe.

Bottom line: Ada Hegerberg is one of the best players in the world, but you won’t find her playing in the 2019 Women’s World Cup with her native Norway.

In 2017 Hegerberg, who finished third in the voting for the 2018 FIFA Women’s Player of the Year, quit the Norwegian national team over the Norwegian Football Federation’s treatment of women’s soccer players. Despite the NFF doubling the amount of money for the women’s team, Hegerberg still has refused to return to the team. And it’s hard to blame her.

When she left in 2017, Hegerberg told euronews.com her time with the national team gave her "nightmares" and left her "mentally broken."

24. Miranda Nild, Thailand

Age: 22 (b. April 1, 1997, in Castro Valley, California, United States)

Position: Forward

Years played: 2016-present

Teams: University of California, Berkeley (2016-18), Thai national team (2017-present), Chonburi (2018-present)

Key stats: 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup semifinals. 2018 AFF Women’s Championship. Capped 17 times by Thailand.

Bottom line: Miranda Nild was born and raised in Northern California after her father emigrated to the United States from Thailand at 10 years old. When Nild was young, he began having her train with a former men’s player from the Thai national team.

She starred at Castro Valley High, then at UC Berkeley, and made the Thai national team in 2017 while still in college at Cal — two years after the Thai women won a game in their first Women’s World Cup appearance in 2015.

Nild, who goes by Suchawadee Nildhamarong on the national team, already is becoming a star overseas playing for pro club Chonburi. She’s also scored 12 goals in just 17 international matches.

23.Estefania Banini, Argentina

Age: 28 (b. June 21, 1990, in Mendoza, Argentina)

Position: Forward

Years played: 2010-present

Teams: Argentine national team (2010-present), Colo-Colo (2011-14), Washington Spirit (2015-16, 2017-present), Valencia (2016-17), Levante (2018-present)

Key stats: Two-time Argentina Women’s Player of the Year (2013, 2014). 2016 Washington Spirit Golden Boot. Capped 16 times by Argentina.

Bottom line: Argentinian star Estefania Banini made her name as a scorer playing in Spain’s Primera Division and in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) for the Washington Spirit. She’s a key reason Argentina made the 2019 Women’s World Cup — its first appearance since 2007.

Banini wasted no time making her name in 2019, leading Argentina to one of the biggest surprises in the group stage round by playing Japan to a 0-0 draw.

That’s quite a difference from Argentina’s last appearance in the World Cup, when the national team set a World Cup record with an 11-0 loss to Germany, which resulted in the Argentina Football Association refusing to fund the team for the next decade.

22. Christiane Endler, Chile

Age: 27 (b. July 23, 1991, in Santiago, Chile)

Position: Goalkeeper

Years played: 2008-present

Teams: Union La Calera (2008-09), Chilean National Team (2009-present), Everton (2010), Colo-Colo (2011-12, 2015-16), University of South Florida (2012-14), Chelsea LFC (2014), Valencia (2016-17), Paris Saint-Germain (2017-present)

Key stats: Three-time Chilean Female Player of the Year (2008, 2009, 2010). 2012 Copa Libertadores champion. 2017 Zamora de Espana Trophy.

Bottom line: When Chile becomes an international power in women’s soccer, goalkeeper Christiane Endler will be one of the players who provided the foundation. Growing up in Chile, women’s soccer was nonexistent, but her older brother and his friends taught her the game until she went to live in Germany with her father and get proper training.

Endler has won goalkeeper of the year in both the top Spanish and French leagues and now is part of Chile’s first team on the national level. She didn’t allow a goal in the game that clinched its World Cup spot, a 4-0 win over Argentina in the Copa America Femenina in La Serena, Chile.

21. Valentina Cernoia, Italy

Age: 27 (b. June 22, 1991, in Italy)

Position: Midfielder

Years played: 2008-present

Teams: Brescia (2008-17), Italian national team (2013-present), Juventus (2017-present)

Key stats: Three-time Serie A champion (2014, 2016, 2018). Three-time Coppa Italian champion (2013, 2015, 2016). Three-time Italian Women’s Super Cup champion (2014, 2015, 2016). Capped 30 times by Italy.

Bottom line: Valentina Cernoia led the Italian national team back to the Women’s World Cup for the first time since 1999 with her stellar play at center midfield.

One of her greatest assets is her ability to score off of free kicks or put the ball in a position that gets Italy on the attack.

Cernoia got her first chance to play for Italy during qualifying rounds for the 2015 Women’s World Cup, where she scored two goals in two games.

She also was a prime acquisition for newly formed Serie A club Juventus in 2017 after she spent nearly a decade playing for Brescia.

20. Janine Van Wyk, South Africa

Age: 32 (b. April 17, 1987, in Alberton, South Africa)

Position: Defender

Years played: 2005-present

Teams: South African national team (2005-present), JvW (2013-16), Houston Dash (2017-18)

Key stats: 2012 Africa Women Cup of Nations runner-up. 2012 Summer Olympics. Capped 159 times by South Africa.

Bottom line: In South Africa, Janine Van Wyk is a true sporting hero — the most capped player in national team history with 159 appearances and beloved for founding her own youth and senior teams named JVW.

She is the captain of the South African team (nicknamed "Banyana Banyana"), and her ability to be the centerpiece of the defense on an offensively deficient team is a key reason South Africa is playing in the Women’s World Cup for the first time, although it played in two Summer Olympics.

The success is in the numbers. In the three years since the 2016 Summer Olympics leading up to the World Cup, South African officials say the number of girls playing soccer in South Africa has risen from 200,000 to 456,000.

19. Ajara Nchout, Cameroon

Age: 26 (b. Jan. 26, 1993, in Njisse, Cameroon)

Position: Forward

Years played: 2007-present

Teams: Franck Rollycek de Douala (2007-10), FC Energy Voronezh (2011-12), Cameroon National Team (2012-present), WFC Rossiyanka (2012-13), AS Police de Yaounde (2014), Western New York Flash (2015), Sundsvalls (2016-17), IL Sandviken (2018), Valerenga (2019-present)

Key stats: 2018 Toppserien Player of the Year nominee. 2013 Russian Women’s Football Championship runner-up.

Bottom line: From early on, Cameroon star Ajara Nchout displayed elite dribbling ability. What was missing was the skill to finish consistently. That’s not an issue anymore.

In the last four years, Nchout has been almost unstoppable in one-on-one situations with 39 goals over her past four club seasons, including 15 goals in 19 games in the 2018 season for Sandviken in Norway’s top women’s league.

It’s a great sign for Cameroon, which is playing in its second World Cup, as is Nchout. If and when it gets opportunities to counter, look for her to be the one with the ball.

18. Abby Erceg, New Zealand

Age: 29 (b. Nov. 20, 1989, in Whangarei, New Zealand)

Position: Defender

Years played: 2004-present

Teams: Three Kings United (2004-06, 2009), New Zealand national team (2006-present), Western Springs FC (2007-08), Espanyol (2009-10), Fencibles United (2010), Adelaide United (2011-13), FF USV Jena (2013-14), Chicago Red Stars (2014-15), Western New York Flash (2016), North Carolina Courage (2917-present)

Key stats: Two-time NWSL champion (2016, 2018 ). 2018 NWSL Defender of the Year. Capped 135 times by New Zealand.

Bottom line: Abby Erceg became the first soccer player, man or woman, to earn 100 caps playing for the New Zealand national team.

She made her debut for the "Football Ferns" at 16 years old, played in her first Women’s World Cup in 2007 and has played in each one since, with 2019 being her fourth go-round.

Erceg won NWSL titles with the Western New York Flash in 2016 and the Carolina Courage in 2018, when she was named NWSL Defender of the Year.

Erceg has retired from the national team twice, in 2017 and 2018, in protest of the national federation’s handling of the women’s team.

17. Wang Shuang, China

Age: 24 (b. Jan. 23, 1995, in Wuhan, Hubei, China)

Position: Midfielder

Years played: 2012-present

Teams: Wuhan Ladies (2012-13, 2015, 2018), Chinese national team (2013-present), Daejeon Sportstoto (2013-14), Dalian Quanjian (2016-17), Paris Saint-Germain (2018-present)

Key stats: Two-time Women’s World Cup qualifier (2015, 2019). Two-time Chinese Women’s Footballer of the Year (2017, 2018). 2018 Asian Women’s Footballer of the Year. Capped 97 times by China.

Bottom line: Chinese soccer officials recognized Wang Shuang’s talent at an early age, and she was playing for the China’s under-17 national team by the time she was 12 years old and the under-20 team when she turned 17.

Since joining top French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2018, Shuang has established herself as one of the best midfielders in the world, scoring seven goals in the 2018 season.

Shuang also has something to prove. She was primed for a large role in the 2015 Women’s World Cup, but a training injury relegated her to a substitute for the entire tournament.

16. Ji So-yun, South Korea

Age: 28 (b. Feb. 21, 1991, in Seoul, South Korea)

Position: Midfielder

Years played: 2006-present

Teams: South Korean national team (2006-present), INAC Kobe Leonessa (2011-13), Chelsea (2014-present)

Key stats: 2013 International Women’s Cup champion. Four-time KFA Women’s Football of the Year (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014). 2013 Asian Women’s Footballer of the Year. Capped 117 times by South Korea.

Bottom line: One of the best midfielders in the world, Ji So-yun is beloved in two countries — her native South Korea for her international exploits and in England, where she’s a star in club play for Chelsea.

So-yun is South Korea’s career leading scorer with 54 goals and joined the national team when she was just 15 years old.

She’s also been a trailblazer on the club level as the first South Korean to play in the FA Women’s Super League and scored the game-winning goal for Chelsea in the 2015 championship.

Perhaps no national team leans on a single player more than South Korea leans on So-yun.

15. Jennifer Hermoso, Spain

Age: 29 (b. May 9, 1990, in Madrid, Spain)

Position: Forward

Years played: 2006-present

Teams: Atletico Madrid (2006-10), Rayo Vallecano (2010-13), Spanish National team (2011-present), Tyreso FF (2013), Barcelona (2013-17), Paris Saint-Germain (2017-18), Atletico Madrid (2018-present)

Key stats: Three-time Primera Division champion (2011, 2014, 2015). Two-time Copa de la Reina de Futbol champion (2014, 2017). Capped 71 times by Spain.

Bottom line: Spanish star Jennifer Hermoso — "Jenni" to her fans — got off to a blazing start at the 2019 Women’s World Cup with two goals in a win over South Africa in the opening game of group play.

Hermoso has proven to be an elite scorer from the jump but took her game to another level in qualifying games with seven goals and nine assists. That follows a club season where she scored 24 goals for Atletico Madrid, which was tops in the Primera Division.

Hermoso and Spain have a lot to prove in just their second Women’s World Cup. They finished last in their group in 2015, and longtime manager Ignacio Querada was fired after almost three decades.

14. Hedvig Lindahl, Sweden

Age: 36 (b. April 29, 1983, in Katrineholm, Sweden)

Position: Goalkeeper

Years played: 1996-present

Teams: DFK Varmbol (1996-98), Tunafors SK (1998-2000), Malmo FF (2001-03), Swedish national team (2002-present), IF Trion (2003), Linkopings FC (2004-08), Kopparbergs/Goteborg FC (2009-10), Kristianstads DFF (2011-14), Chelsea (2015-19)

Key stats: 2015 Diamantbollen/Swedish MVP winner. 2016 Olympic silver medalist. Capped 158 times by Sweden.

Bottom line: The daughter of a Swedish pro soccer player, Hedvig Lindahl is entering her fifth Women’s World Cup as Sweden’s starting goalkeeper. She’s also been the starting goalkeeper for Sweden in the Summer Olympics and the UEFA Women’s Championship — an elite trifecta.

Lindahl has been one of the world’s best on the club level as well and registered a shutout in Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Nott’s County in the 2015 FA Women’s Cup Final, which was the first time the game was played at Wembley Stadium.

At the same time, Lindahl is no stranger to adversity. She suffers from the skin disease vitiligo and had to have double hip replacement surgery in 2014.

13. Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria

Age: 24 (b. Oct. 9, 1994, in Ikorodu, Nigeria)

Position: Forward/midfielder

Years played: 2009-present

Teams: FC Robo (2009-13), Nigerian national team (2011-present), Rivers Angels (2013-15), Liverpool Ladies (2015), Arsenal Ladies (2016), Dalian Quaniian F.C. (2017-18), FC Barcelona (2019-present)

Key stats: 2015 BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year. Three-time African Women’s Footballer of the Year (2014, 2016, 2017). 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Golden Boot and Golden Ball.

Bottom line: Nigerian homegrown soccer prodigy Asisat Oshoala is one of the best young forwards in the world.

She scored seven goals and swept the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at the U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2014, then played in her first Women’s World Cup in 2015 and scored her lone goal of the tournament in the opener of group play.

Oshoala led Nigeria to a pair of African Women’s Championship titles in 2016 and 2018. On the club level, she was dominant in her first year for FC Barcelona with eight goals in eight matches.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan made her a member of the Order of the Niger in 2014.

12. Khadija Shaw, Jamaica

Age: 22 (b. Jan. 31, 1997, in Spanish Town, Jamaica)

Position: Forward

Years played: 2015-present

Teams: Jamaican national team (2015-present), Eastern Florida State College (2015-16), University of Tennessee (2017-18), Florida Krush (2018), Bordeaux (2019-present)

Key stats: 2018 Guardian Footballer of the Year. Two-time All-SEC (2017, 2018 ). 2018 SEC Offensive Player of the Year. Capped 22 times by Jamaica.

Bottom line: How great of an athlete is Jamaican forward Khadija Shaw? The New York Times called her the "female Zion Williamson." So there’s that.

Shaw, who is signed to play for elite French club Bordeaux, has yet to play a professional club match but was the most dominant player in the world in World Cup qualifying with 19 goals, helping Jamaica become the first Caribbean country to play in the Women’s World Cup.

In an interesting twist, the Jamaican national team was close to folding five years ago before Cedella Marley, the daughter of legendary singer Bob Marley, stepped in to back the team financially. Cedella’s dad, a lifelong soccer fanatic, would’ve loved this.

11. Kim Little, Scotland

Age: 28 (b. June 29, 1990, in Mintlaw, Scotland)

Position: Forward

Years played: 2006-present

Teams: Hibernian Ladies (2006-08), Scottish national team (2007-present), Arsenal (2008-13, 2017-present), Great Britain National Team (2012-present), Seattle Reign FC (2014-16), Melbourne City (2015-16)

Key stats: 2010 FA Women’s Player of the Year. 2014 NWSL Most Valuable Player. Capped 134 times by Scotland.

Bottom line: Few players in the world are as exciting to watch with the ball as Scotland’s Kim Little, who is playing in her first World Cup in 2019.

The Scottish team is built around her skills and she usually delivers — she’s been playing for the national team since she was 16 and made the controversial decision to play for the Great Britain national team in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Little has dominated on the club level as well, winning three FA Cups and one Premiere League title with Arsenal and winning NWSL Most Valuable Player with Seattle Reign FC in 2014.

She is Scotland’s career leader with 53 goals in international play.

10. Caroline Graham Hansen, Norway

Age: 24 (b. Feb. 18, 1995, in Oslo, Norway)

Position: Forward

Years played: 2010-present

Teams: Stabaek (2010-13, 2014), Norwegian national team (2011-present), Tyreso (2013), VfL Wolfsburg (2014-19), Barcelona (2019-present)

Key stats: Two-time Toppserien champion (2010, 2013). Three-time Norwegian Women’s Cup champion (2011, 2012, 2013). Capped 71 times by Norway.

Bottom line: Soccer prodigy Caroline Graham Hansen made her professional club debut in Toppserien, Norway’s top women’s league, at just 15 years old and made her debut with the Norwegian national team when she was 16.

With the absence of fellow Norwegian star Ada Hegerberg, Graham Hansen is counted on to spearhead the attack and had six goals in World Cup qualifying games. She’s playing in her first World Cup after a knee injury forced her to sit out in 2015.

She played at an elite club level with VfL Wolsburg from 2014 to 2019 in the German Bundesliga and signed a two-year contract with FC Barcelona in May.

9. Amandine Henry, France

Age: 29 (b. Sept 28, 1989, in Lille, France)

Position: Defensive midfielder

Years played: 2004-present

Teams: Henin-Beaumont (2004-05), CNFE Clairefontaine (2005-07), Olympique Lyonnais (2007-16, 2018-present), French national team (2009-present), Portland Thorns (2016-17), Paris Saint-Germain (2017)

Key stats: 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Silver Ball. 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup All-Star. 2017 NWSL Champion. Capped 83 times by France.

Bottom line: Amandine Henry played with boys teams until she was 13 years old. Two years later, she made her pro debut with Henin-Beaumont.

Henry has seen her star take a dip since the 2015 Women’s World Cup when she was awarded the Silver Ball and was a yearly contender for FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year. Critics have pointed to her two years playing in the NWSL as the reason for the drop in play.

Since returning to former club Olympique Lyonnais in 2018, her play has started to turn around, and she opened the 2019 Women’s World Cup with a goal in a win over South Korea.

8. Saki Kumagai, Japan

Age: 28 (b. Oct. 17, 1990, in Sapporo, Hokaido, Japan)

Position: Defender

Years played: 2008-present

Teams: Japan national team (2008-present), Urawa Reds (2009-11), Frankfurt (2011-13), Olympique Lyonnais (2013-present)

Key stats: 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup champion. 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup runner-up. 2012 Olympic silver medalist. Capped 103 times by Japan.

Bottom line: Few players in the world are more decorated than Japan’s Saki Kumagai, an elite defender who also could be the team’s best midfielder.

She scored the winning penalty in the 2011 Women’s World Cup final against the U.S. and helped guide Japan to a runner-up finish in the 2015 World Cup and a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

On the club level, Kumagai is one of the world’s most celebrated players, scoring the winning penalty for Olympique Lyonnais in the 2016 UEFA Champions League final and being named Player of the Match.

She also led Japan to a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games.

7. Marta, Brazil

Age: 33 (b. Feb. 19, 1986, in Dois Riachos, Alagoas, Brazil)

Position: Forward

Years played: 2000-present

Teams: Brazilian women’s national team (2002-present), Vasco de Gama (2000-02), Santa Cruz (2002-04), Umea IK (2004-08), Los Angeles Sol (2009), Santos (2009-10), FC Gold Pride (2010), Santos (2011), Western New York Flash (2011), Tyreso FF (2012-14), FC Rosengard (2014-17), Orlando Pride (2017-present)

Key stats: Six-time FIFA World Player of the Year (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2018). Won 2007 Women’s World Cup Golden Ball and Golden Shoe. Capped 120 times by Brazil.

Bottom line: Marta Vieiera da Silva is the only soccer player, male or female, to be named the World Player of the Year six times, with five straight wins from 2006 to 2010. She’s playing in her fifth Women’s World Cup in 2019, a stage where she’s been at her very best.

Marta first grabbed the world’s attention at the 2007 World Cup, where she led Brazil to the finals and won the Golden Ball for the tournament’s top player and Golden Boot for being the top scorer with seven goals. She gained acclaim for scoring two brilliant goals in a 4-0 win over the U.S.

She’s also won two silver medals at the Olympics, in 2004 and 2008.

6. Lucy Bronze, England

Age: 27 (b. Oct. 28, 1991, in Berwick-upon-Tweed, England)

Position: Defender

Years played: 2007-present

Teams: Sunderland (2007-10), University of North Carolina (2009), Everton (2010-12), Liverpool (2012-14), England National Team (2013-present), Manchester City (2014-17), Olympique Lyonnais (2017-present)

Key stats: 2009 NCAA champion. Two-time PFA Women’s Player of the Year (2014, 2017). 2018 BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year. Capped 66 times by England.

Bottom line: England’s Lucy Bronze became the first Brit to win an NCAA women’s soccer championship in her one season at the University of North Carolina in 2009, the same year she was named Player of the Match for Sunderland in the FA Women’s Cup Final.

She’s won back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles with Olympique Lyonnais, and it’s a fierce debate about whether Bronze or Lyon teammate and Japanese star Saki Kumagai is the best overall defender in the world.

Bronze was arguably England’s best player in the 2015 Women’s World Cup, leading her country to the semifinals and being named to the Women’s World Cup All-Star team and shortlisted for the Golden Ball.

5. Christine Sinclair, Canada

Age: 36 (born June 12, 1983, in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada)

Position: Forward/midfielder

Years played: 2000-present

Teams: Canadian national team (2000-present), University of Portland (2001-05), Vancouver Breakers (2001-02), Vancouver Whitecaps (2006-08), FC Gold Pride (2009-10), Western New York Flash (2011-12), Portland Thorns FC (2013-present)

Key stats: Two-time NCAA champion (2002, 2005). Two-time NWSL champion (2013, 2017). 14-time Canada Soccer Player of the Year. Capped 281 times by Canada.

Bottom line: Canadian superstar Christine Sinclair is second on the international career goals list with 181 goals and seems destined to break former U.S. women’s national team superstar Abby Wambach’s record 184 goals.

Sinclair has won two Olympic bronze medals and had perhaps the most memorable individual performance in Olympic soccer history when she scored a hat trick in a 4-3 extra-time loss to the U.S. in the 2012 semifinals.

Sinclair, playing in her fifth Women’s World Cup, has been shortlisted for World Player of the Year seven times, is a member of the Royal Canadian Order and has had her face on a Canadian stamp.

4. Dzsenifer Marozsan, Germany

Age: 27 (b. April 18, 1992, in Budapest, Hungary)

Position: Midfielder

Years played: 2007-present

Teams: 1. FC Saarbrucken (2007-09), 1. FFC Frankfurt (2009-16), German national team (2010-present), Olympique Lyonnais (2016-present)

Key stats: 2016 Olympic gold medalist. Three-time UNFP Women’s Player of the Year (2017, 2018, 2019). Capped 91 times by Germany.

Bottom line: The daughter of Hungarian soccer legend Janos Marozsan, Dzsenifer Marozsan moved to Germany as a small child when her father signed a club contract with 1. FC Saarbrucken in 1996. Because she was only 4 years old, German officials were able to make Dzsenifer a naturalized citizen.

She’s been the German team’s captain since 2016, the same year she scored the winning goal in the Olympic final for Germany’s first gold medal.

On the club level, Marozsan won a Bundesliga title with her father’s old club, 1. FC Saarbrucken, in 2009. She’s also won four UEFA Champions League titles with two different clubs: FFC Frankfurt in 2015 and Olympique Lyonnais in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

3. Lieke Martens, Netherlands

Age: 26 (b. Dec. 16, 1992, in Bergen, Netherlands)

Position: Wing

Years played: 2009-present

Teams: Heerenveen (2009-10), VVV-Venlo (2010-11), Dutch national team (2011-present), Standard Liege (2011-12), Duisburg (2012-14), Kopparbergs/Goteborg FC (2014-15), Rosengard (2016-17), FC Barcelona (2017-present)

Key stats: 2017 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year. 2017 UEFA Women’s Player of the Year. Capped 101 times by Netherlands.

Bottom line: Perhaps no player in the 2019 Women’s World Cup has more on the line with her legacy than Lieke Martens, who lifted her level of play to among the world’s best in the two years leading up to the tournament.

The 2017 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year guided Barcelona to the Champions League final in 2019 and was the top player at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017.

Martens scored the first goal in Duch history in the World Cup in 2015 and has 42 goals in international play.

She’s a tough matchup because despite being right-footed, she prefers to play on the left wing.

2. Alex Morgan, United States

Age: 29 (b. July 2, 1989, in San Dimas, California)

Position: Forward

Years played: 2007-present

Teams: University of California, Berkeley (2007-10), West Coast FC (2008-09), U.S. women’s national team (2010-present), California Storm (2010), Pali Blues (2010), Western New York Flash (2011), Seattle Sounders Women (2012), Portland Thorns FC (2013-15), Orlando Pride (2016-present), Lyon (2017)

Key stats: 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup champion. 2012 Olympic gold medalist. Two-time U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year (2012, 2018). Capped 160 times by U.S.

Bottom line: One of the most recognizable women’s soccer players in the world, international superstar Alex Morgan has defined her career by winning.

She won a WPS title with the Western New York Flash in 2011, won an Olympic gold medal in 2012, won a NWSL title with the Portland Thorns in 2013, won the Women’s World Cup in 2015 and won the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2017.

She’s one of a rare group of players who's scored 100 goals in international competition. She also was a finalist for Women’s World Player of the Year in 2012, has been named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year twice (2012 and 2018) and scored five goals in the 2019 Women’s World Cup opener against Thailand.

1. Sam Kerr, Australia

Age: 25 (b. Sept. 10, 1993, in East Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia)

Position: Forward

Years played: 2008-present

Teams: Perth Glory (2008-11, 2014-present), Australian national team (2009-present), Sydney FC (2012-14), Western New York Flash (2013-14), Sky Blue FC (2015-17), Chicago Red Stars (2018-present)

Key stats: 2017 NWSL Most Valuable Player. Two-time NWSL Golden Boot Award (2017, 2018). Three-time PFA Women’s Footballer of the Year (2013, 2017, 2018). 2017 Asian Women’s Footballer of the Year. Capped 78 times by Australia.

Bottom line: It’s not hard to see the pedigree that created a superstar in Australia’s Sam Kerr. Her father, Roger, and older brother, Daniel, were both highly regarded professional Australian Rules Football players.

Sam Kerr started playing with the Australian national team in 2009 when she was 15, and in the years leading up to the 2019 Women’s World Cup, she was almost unstoppable, with 79 goals over 83 club matches and 23 goals in 26 matches for Australia. She’s also the NWSL career leader with 61 goals.

Since 2016, she has faced the top competition in the world. No one has been able to stop her. Now she has her sights on the first Women’s World Cup title in Australian history.