Biggest Women's Soccer Stars in the World

The women's game continues to grow. Here's who you should follow.

Biggest Women's Soccer Stars in the World

Women's soccer continues to grow after the 2019 Women’s World Cup, which brought more fans, respect and stars.

The United States won its second straight title, but the international football competition in France was more than just an American showcase.

Many players from around the world are helping the game evolve and spread.

These are the best to keep following.

25. Caroline Graham Hansen, Norway

Position: Winger

Age: 24 (born Feb. 18, 1995)

Experience: 2010-present

2019 World Cup stats: 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 block, 444 minutes in five matches

Current team: FC Barcelona

Bottom line: One of the top women’s players in the world, Norway’s Caroline Graham Hansen made her World Cup debut in 2019 after a knee injury kept her out of the 2015 World Cup.

The 5-foot-10 winger helped lead Norway to the World Cup quarterfinals and contributed in a variety of ways with a goal, assist and block.

At just 24 years old, Graham Hansen has been with the national team since 2011 and finished as runner-up at the UEFA World Championship in 2013. Hansen led the Bundesliga in assists over five seasons and put German club Wolfsburg in the Champions League finals in 2016 and 2018.

Now, she plays for FC Barcelona after signing a two-year deal in May 2019.

24. Marta, Brazil

Position: Forward

Age: 33 (b. Feb. 19, 1986)

Experience: 2000-present

2019 World Cup stats: 2 goals, 244 minutes in three matches

Current team: Orlando Pride

Bottom line: The World Cup’s career leader with 17 goals, Marta added two more goals for Brazil in 2019 despite only playing in three matches.

It was the fifth World Cup for the 33-year-old forward, who has 112 international goals in 147 caps for Brazil and two Olympic silver medals.

The six-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year has played for the NWSL’s Orlando Pride since a transfer from Swedish club FC Rosengard in 2017.

Could she play in a sixth World Cup in 2023? The recent hiring of former U.S. coach Pia Sundhage to coach Brazil’s national team could be a sign that’s a real possibility.

23. Isabell Herlovsen, Norway

Position: Striker

Age: 31 (b. June 23, 1988)

Experience: 2004-present

2019 World Cup stats: 2 goals, 416 minutes in five matches

Current team: Valerenga (on loan to Kolbotn)

Bottom line: Isabell Herlovsen is one of the most experienced international players in Norwegian history, with four World Cup appearances, 128 caps and 60 goals.

Herlovsen has been with pro club Valerenga since 2018 but was on loan to Kolbotn in 2019, the club where she made her pro debut in 2004 and played through 2009.

Herlovsen led the Norwegian women’s league, Topsserien, in goals scored in 2012 and 2016 and finished as Champions League runner-up in 2010 while playing with Olympique Lyonnais.

At 31 years old, Herlovsen still has elite skills and could be on Norway’s World Cup roster in 2023 after helping lead the team to the 2019 quarterfinals.

22. Carli Lloyd, United States

Position: Midfielder

Age: 37 (b. July 16, 1982)

Experience: 1999-present

2019 World Cup stats: 3 goals, 194 minutes in seven matches

Current team: Sky Blue FC

Bottom line: The star of the 2015 World Cup, Carli Lloyd was thought to be perhaps too old, at 37, to make any big contributions in the 2019 World Cup. That was incorrect.

Playing limited minutes in her fourth World Cup appearance, Lloyd still connected on three goals and won her fourth international championship with the U.S following gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and the 2015 World Cup title.

The third-most capped player in U.S. history, Lloyd has spent her entire pro career in the U.S. aside from being on loan to Manchester City in 2017. She’s been with Sky Blue FC since a trade in 2018, when she was named to the NWSL Best XI Second Team.

21. Jennifer Hermoso, Spain

Position: Forward/midfielder

Age: 29 (b. May 9, 1990)

Experience: 2006-present

2019 World Cup stats: 3 goals, 360 minutes in four matches

Current team: FC Barcelona

Bottom line: How do you define swag in soccer? Usually it’s when you start to go by one name, so Spain’s Jennifer Hermoso — "Jenni" to her fans — is in that category.

She stood out in a big way playing in her second World Cup for the national team, scoring two goals off penalties in an opening win over South Africa, then another goal in a loss to eventual champion United States.

Jenni, who has 30 goals in 68 caps for the national team, signed a three-year contract with FC Barcelona following the World Cup and is on her second stint with the team.

20. Kosovare Asllani, Sweden

Position: Forward

Age: 30 (b. July 29, 1989)

Experience: 2007-present

2019 World Cup stats: 3 goals, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 604 minutes in seven matches

Current team: CD Tacon/Real Madrid

Bottom line: Sweden’s Kosovare Asllani made her name in the soccer world by going wherever the best competition was her entire career.

She’s respected enough that when she signed with Paris Saint-Germain in 2012, star men’s team striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic asked to introduce her at the news conference and said, "If you want to win, you need a Swedish striker."

With the national team since 2008, Asllani led the team to a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics and third place at the 2019 World Cup following a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to the Netherlands in the semifinals.

She’s the first signee for CD Tacon, which will become Real Madrid in 2020.

19. Cristiana Girelli, Italy

Position: Striker

Age: 29 (b. April 23, 1990)

Experience: 2005-present

2019 World Cup stats: 3 goals, 2 blocks, 279 minutes in four matches

Current team: Juventus

Bottom line: The Italian attacking unit of Cristiana Girelli, Aurora Galli and Barbara Bonansea took the 2019 World Cup by storm, leading the national team into the quarterfinals. Girelli tied with Galli for the team lead with three goals in just four matches and has 65 caps and 32 goals since joining the national team in 2013.

Anyone who has been following Girelli’s career shouldn’t be surprised by her success. She’s won six Italian Women’s Cup titles with three different teams since 2006, including teaming with Galli to win the 2019 title for Juventus.

At 29 years old, Girelli has (at least) one more World Cup left in the tank.

18. Vivianne Miedema, Netherlands

Position: Forward

Age: 23 (b. July 15, 1996)

Experience: 2011-present

World Cup stats: 3 goals, 657 minutes in seven matches

Current team: Arsenal

Bottom line: At just 23 years old, Vivianne Miedema is one of the core group of players that helped lead the Netherlands to a runner-up finish at the 2019 World Cup.

Miedema scored three goals in the tournament and now has 82 caps and a staggering 61 goals in international competition. She’s a prodigal talent and was the youngest player in the history of Dutch pro soccer, making her debut with SC Heerenveen at just 15 years old.

Miedema led the Champions League in scoring in 2016-17 with Bayern Munich and has been with Arsenal since 2017, where she’s scored 26 goals in 31 matches.

17. Christiane Endler, Chile

Position: Goalkeeper

Age: 28 (b. July 23, 1991)

Experience: 2008-present

World Cup stats: 13 saves, 270 minutes in three matches

Current team: Paris Saint-Germain

Bottom line: One of the world’s best goalkeepers, Christiane Endler shined for Chile in her country’s World Cup debut in 2019. She earned Player of the Match honors in a 3-0 loss to the United States, holding the eventual World Cup champions scoreless in the second half.

At an even 6-feet tall, Endler dominated in her native Chile, winning Chilean Player of the Year from 2008 to 2010. She made the leap to the top pro clubs after that, and even though she battled injuries early on, she was granted a three-year contract extension by current club Paris Saint-Germain in 2018.

With a German father and Chilean mother, she has dual citizenship in the two countries.

16. Giulia Gwinn, Germany

Position: Midfielder

Age: 20 (b. July 2, 1999)

Experience: 2015-present

2019 World Cup stats: 1 goal, 1 assist, 450 minutes in five matches

Current team: FC Bayern Munich

Bottom line: Giulia Gwinn got to the quarterfinals in her first World Cup. The 20-year-old delivered the game-winning goal in Germany’s opening match, a 1-0 win over China, added an assist later in the tournament and played every minute for Germany.

For her efforts, Gwinn won the tournament’s Best Young Player Award which was a nice feather in the cap as she switches pro clubs from SC Freiburg, where she’s been since 2015, to Bundesliga power FC Bayern Munich.

Gwinn is in her fifth year as a pro, having made her debut with Freiburg when she was just 15. She was called up to the national team when she was 18.

15. Ajara Nchout, Cameroon

Position: Forward

Age: 26 (b. Jan. 12, 1993)

Experience: 2007-present

2019 World Cup stats: 2 goals, 277 minutes in four matches

Current team: Valerenga Fotball

Bottom line: Cameroon star Ajara Nchout showed she had a flair for the dramatic, scoring her country’s only two goals in a 2-1 win over New Zealand to lift them into the Round of 16 at the 2019 World Cup.

Nchout was a star in Russia early in her career, helping lead WFC Rossiyanka to back-to-back Russian Women’s Football Championship titles in 2012 and 2013. She joins top Norwegian club Valerenga in 2019, where she’ll be paired with another World Cup standout, Netherlands star Sherida Spitse.

Nchout was previously with another Norwegian club, Sandviken, where she had to miss the Norwegian league final because of a commitment to the national team.

14. Lieke Martens, Netherlands

Position: Midfielder/winger

Age: 26 (b. Dec. 16, 1992)

Experience: 2009-present

2019 World Cup stats: 2 goals, 1 assist, 545 minutes in seven matches

Current team: FC Barcelona

Bottom line: Lieke Martens swept the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year and FIFA Women’s Player of the Year awards in 2017 after leading the Netherlands to its first European Championship.

She also was key in her country’s runner-up finish at the 2019 World Cup, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over Japan in the Round of 16. It was a huge leap after Martens scored the first World Cup goal in Netherlands history in 2015.

She's signed with Champions League power FC Barcelona, where she led the club to the UEFA Champions League finals in 2018, her second season with the team.

13. Sherida Spitse, Netherlands

Position: Midfielder

Age: 29 (b. May 29, 1990)

Experience: 2007-present

2019 World Cup stats: 4 assists, 3 blocks, 640 minutes in seven matches

Current team: Valerenga Fotball

Bottom line: Sherida Spitse is one of the core group of players who led the Netherlands to a European Championship in 2017 and followed that up with a runner-up finish in the 2019 World Cup.

Spitse led all players in the World Cup with four assists, and has 169 caps with the national team after being called up in 2006. She led Norwegian club LSK Kvinner to three consecutive Norwegian Women’s Cup championships from 2014 to 2016, and returned to Norway with current club Valerenga in 2018.

In fact, Spitse was the first women’s player in Norwegian history to have money paid for her in a transfer in 2013.

12. Aurora Galli, Italy

Position: Midfielder

Age: 22 (Dec. 13, 1996)

Experience: 2011-present

2019 World Cup stats: 3 goals, 301 minutes in five matches

Current team: Juventus

Bottom line: Italy was one of the biggest surprises of the 2019 World Cup after being put in a group with two teams in the FIFA Top 10 and coming out on top.

The reason for that was the Italians had a young, elite attacking group led by Cristiana Girelli, Barbara Bonansea and Aurora Galli, who tied for the team lead with three goals in the World Cup.

At just 22 years old, Galli showed she could match up against the world’s best competition (she’s been on the national team since 2014) and that Italy could be a serious contender in 2023.

Now it’s back to pro club Juventus, where she’ll keep teaming up with Girelli.

11. Wendie Renard, France

Position: Defender

Age: 29 (July 20, 1990)

Experience: 2006-present

2019 World Cup stats: 4 goals, 1 block, 480 minutes in five matches

Current team: Olympique Lyonnais

Bottom line: France has one of the best defenders in the world in Wendie Renard, a 6-foot-2 dynamo on the pitch. She can dominate games on defense and transition to scoring the ball when she’s needed, as evidenced by her four goals in the 2019 World Cup.

Renard has been steady as she goes for her entire career, and she's been with pro club Olympique Lyonnais (the only pro team she's ever known) since 2006.

Renard has represented France in two World Cups, two Olympics and has been the national team’s captain since 2013, where she has a total of 108 caps.

10. Alyssa Naeher, United States

Position: Goalkeeper

Age: 31 (April 20, 1988)

Experience: 2008-present

2019 World Cup stats: 13 saves, 3 shutouts, 630 minutes in seven matches

Current team: Chicago Red Stars

Bottom line: No player came up bigger for the U.S. on the way to the 2019 World Cup title than Alyssa Naeher.

The two-time All-American at Penn State was on the U.S. roster for its 2015 World Cup title as an apprentice to star goalie Hope Solo, who played every minute of that tournament, and Naeher did the same thing in 2019 for the U.S., recording three shutouts. Naeher was at her best in the final, a 2-0 win over the Netherlands.

She’s been with the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars since 2016 and earned her 100th NWSL cap in 2018.

9. Sara Dabritz, Germany

Position: Midfielder

Age: 24 (Feb. 15, 1995)

Experience: 2012-present

2019 World Cup stats: 3 goals, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 450 minutes in five matches

Current team: Paris Saint-Germain

Bottom line: One of the top young stars in the world, Sara Dabritz helped lead Germany to the 2013 European Championship and the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics. And she’s still only 24 years old.

Dabritz was a tough matchup in the 2019 World Cup, where she earned Player of the Match honors after wins over Spain and South Africa, as Germany advanced to the quarterfinals.

She’s a winner on the pro club level as well, helping lead Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title in 2016. In 2019, Dabritz agreed to a transfer from Bayern Munich to French power Paris Saint-Germain.

8. Cristiane, Brazil

Position: Forward

Age: 34 (May 15, 1985)

Experience: 2005-present

2019 World Cup stats: 4 goals, 301 minutes in four matches

Current team: Sao Paulo

Bottom line: In four matches at the 2019 World Cup, Brazilian star Cristiane scored four goals. Her brilliant header in a 3-2 loss to Australia was named Goal of the Tournament, one of two times she scored on a header in the World Cup.

With the Brazil national team since 2003, Cristiane was playing in her fifth World Cup but has had most of her success in the Olympics, where she has two silver medals.

After spending the last three seasons with Chinese pro club Changchung Zhuoyue, Cristiane returned home to sign with Brazliian pro club Sao Paulo for the 2019 season.

7. Sari van Veenendaal, Netherlands

Position: Goalkeeper

Age: 29 (April 3, 1990)

Experience: 2007-present

World Cup stats: 3 shutouts, 5 goals allowed in seven matches

Current team: Atletico Madrid

Bottom line: Part of the Netherlands national team since 2011, Sari van Veenendaal helped lead her country to its first European Championship in 2017. She followed that up at the 2019 World Cup with a performance that put the entire world on notice, posting three shutouts and giving up just five goals on the way to a runner-up finish.

Named the World Cup’s Golden Glove Award winner for best goalkeeper of the tournament, it couldn’t have come at a better time for van Veenendaal, whose contract expired with pro club Arsenal.

She signed with Atletico Madrid in July following the World Cup.

6. Ellen White, England

Position: Forward

Age: 30 (May 9, 1989)

Experience: 2005-present

World Cup stats: 6 goals, 514 minutes in six matches

Current team: Manchester City

Bottom line: England’s Ellen White scored six goals to tie with U.S. stars Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan for the top goalscorer at the 2019 World Cup and was awarded the Bronze Boot.

White became the face of her country’s team with her play at the World Cup, and would have had another goal in the third-place game against Sweden, but it was waved off on a questionable handball call against White.

Now England’s career World Cup leading goalscorer, White made her pro debut with Arsenal in 2005 at just 16 years old, and left pro club Birmingham City to join Manchester City in May 2019.

5. Rose Lavelle, United States

Position: Midfielder

Age: 24 (May 19, 1995)

Experience: 2014-present

World Cup stats: 3 goals, 427 minutes in six matches

Current team: Washington Spirit

Bottom line: Just 24 years old, Rose Lavelle inked her name in U.S. women’s soccer lore with her performance in her first World Cup and established herself as the national team’s next big star.

Lavelle, the first All-American for the University of Wisconsin in almost 30 years, scored the insurance goal for the U.S. in its 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the World Cup championship game. She was awarded the Bronze Ball as the tournament’s third-best player for her performance.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NWSL Draft, Lavelle only played 11 games for the Washington Spirit in 2018 because of injuries and commitments to the national team, but expect her stock to rise now.

4. Alex Morgan, United States

Position: Striker

Age: 30 (July 2, 1989)

Experience: 2008-present

World Cup stats: 6 goals, 3 assists, 490 minutes in six matches

Current team: Orlando Pride

Bottom line: Alex Morgan continued her storied international career at the 2019 World Cup, leading the tournament with six goals and three assists and earning the Silver Boot as the U.S. won its second consecutive World Cup.

Since finishing as runner-up in her first World Cup in 2011, Morgan has won an Olympic gold medal and two World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019.

One of the most marketable, recognizable athletes in the world, Morgan won the ESPY for Best Female Athlete after returning from the 2019 World Cup.

Her NWSL team, the Orlando Pride, struggled in 2018 and finished seventh out of nine teams. Can she help them find success?

3. Lucy Bronze, England

Position: Defender

Age: 27 (Oct. 28, 1991)

Experience: 2007-present

World Cup stats: 1 goal, 2 assists, 630 minutes in seven matches

Current team: Olympique Lyonnais

Bottom line: Lucy Bronze is no stranger to American soccer fans, as she won an NCAA championship in 2009 with the University of North Carolina in her only college season.

Bronze took a star turn at the 2019 World Cup, leading England to the semifinals and a fourth-place finish while being awarded the Silver Ball as the tournament’s second-best player.

After cementing her place as one of the world’s best defenders, she’s back with pro club Olympique Lyonnais, where she’ll try to lead them to a third consecutive UEFA Women’s Champions League title after being named the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2018.

2. Sam Kerr, Australia

Position: Forward

Age: 25 (Sept. 10, 1993)

Experience: 2008-present

World Cup stats: 5 goals, 1 block, 390 minutes in four matches

Current teams: Perth Glory and Chicago Red Stars

Bottom line: No player faced the glare of the spotlight more than Sam Kerr heading into the 2019 World Cup.

While Australia didn’t do as well as anticipated as a team, Kerr scored the second-most goals in the tournament with five, including four in a 4-1 win over Jamaica.

She’s led the NWSL in scoring in two straight seasons for the Chicago Red Stars and also is the NWSL career leader in goals scored.

She’s also a star for Australian pro club Perth Glory, which has made her one of the highest-paid women’s soccer players in the world at $400,000 per year.

1. Megan Rapinoe, United States

Position: Midfielder/winger

Age: 34 (July 5, 1985)

Experience: 2009-present

World Cup stats: 6 goals, 3 assists, 428 minutes in 5 matches

Current team: Seattle Reign FC

Bottom line: Megan Rapinoe stole the spotlight from the first match of the 2019 World Cup and led the United States to its second consecutive World Cup title.

She swept the Golden Ball (Best Player) and Golden Boot (Top Scorer) and her post-goal "Are you entertained?" celebration became iconic over the course of the tournament.

What’s even more amazing? She did this while even sitting out one of the early U.S. matches against England.

American soccer fans are the lucky ones now, as Rapinoe returns to play for Seattle Reign FC, where she’s been since 2013 and has been named to the NWSL Best XI four times.