Sport
The 5 best female footballers in the world
According to FIFA, a record 1.12 billion viewers tuned in to watch the 2019 women’s World Cup held in France. Although not yet as big as the men’s game, women’s football is more popular than ever. China held the first women’s World Cup in 1991 and, almost 30 years later, the game has progressed hugely in every aspect. We decided to take a look at the five best female footballers in the world at the moment.
The five best female footballers in the world
Marta (Orlando Pride & Brazil)
Marta is regarded by many as the greatest female player of all time. The 34-year-old has been named FIFA World Player of the Year six times, with five in consecutive years from 2006 – 2010 and, most recently, in 2018.
In interviews, Marta Vieira de Silva has said that she was born to play football and has inspired young girls all over the world to consider a career in football. Growing up in Dois Riachos, one of the most impoverished towns in Brazil, her interest in football started when she was still a little kid. Her long and nomadic path to becoming one of the best female football players of all time was far from an easy one.
In 2017, Marta left Europe to go to America where she joined Orlando Pride, her current club.
Ada Hegerberg (Olympique Lyonnais & Norway)
Due to an ongoing dispute with the Norwegian Football Federation, Ada Hegerberg missed another major competition for her country when Norway played the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019. In the summer of 2017, Hegerberg decided to stop representing Norway as a form of protest about an ongoing dispute with the NFF about the unfair treatment female footballers.
The Olympique Lyonnais player is widely regarded as one of the best female footballers in the world, having scored a staggering 144 goals in 117 appearances for the French club.
Sam Kerr (Chelsea & Australia)
Sam Kerr was voted female footballer of the year in 2019 before finishing second the following year, which was the first time that The Guardian and The Offside Rule composed the list together. She is the fourth winner of the award since its inception.
The 26-year old scored a stunning 34 goals in 40 appearances for the Chicago Red Stars and finished as the Golden Boot winner in both the Westfield W-League and the National Women’s Soccer League, scored a goal every 3 games after her transfer to Chelsea.
Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign & USA)
As captain, Megan Rapinoe led the United States to a second successive FIFA Women’s World Cup triumph in 2019, claiming both the Adidas Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the tournament.
During the final, in front of a sold-out crowd of 58,000 fans at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Rapinoe scored her 50th international goal with a 61st-minute penalty kick. Because of her performances, the OL Reign star was named the best female footballer in the world that year.
Lucy Bronze (Olympique Lyonnais & England)
In January 2020, Lucy bronze became the first defender to win the ‘UEFA Women’s Player of the Year’ award. The 28-year old defender is the best female right-back in the world and is regarded by many to be the best female defender in the world in general. Bronze scored during the 3–0 victory over Norway in the quarter-finals of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup when England finished the tournament in fourth place, losing the third-place play-off against Sweden.
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