The world of women's sports is often overlooked, but it's full of incredible athletes. How is it possible to decide the best player in women's soccer today? The answer is debatable, but here are some of the best of the best playing in the 2025 season. Who do you think should be number one?
#15 Alessia Russo
Achievements
- Champions League Champion (2024-25)
- FWA Women's Footballer of the Year (2024-25)
- England Women's Player of the Year 2023-24
- 2023 FIFA FIFPro Women's World XI
Russo's most recent personal win was in July, when she netted a goal against Spain in the final match of the Nations League. The score equalised the match and contributed to the Lioneesses' victory in the subsequent penalty shootout.
She was also the leading scorer for her club in both the Women's Super League and the UEFA Women's Champions League. In fact, she scored the fastest hat-trick (11 minutes) in England’s history! The record-breaking score was in her 1st start for the national team in the 2023 World Cup qualifying against Latvia.
In the 2023 FIFA World Cup, she scored England's winning goal against Colombia.
Many of these excellent players have been encouraged by their equally excellent women's soccer coaches.
#14 Salma Paralluelo
Achievements
- 3x Liga F Champion
- 2x Champions League Champion
- 2x Spanish Cup Winner
- 2023 Women's World Cup Champion
Paralluelo earned her position among the top female soccer players in the 2023-24 season, when she made notable leaps in her skills and career.
In 2023, she participated in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, snagging the spotlight by scoring the winning goal in extra time. The historic victory led to Spain’s first entry into the semi-finals of a World Cup.
A few days later, she did it again, scoring the winning goal against Sweden and qualifying Spain for the final, which they ultimately won. For her efforts, she was proclaimed champion, the best young player of the tournament.
In those two years, she won multiple awards from FIFA and the Ballon d’Or.
#13 Caroline Graham Hansen
Achievements
- 6x Domestic League Champion
- 3x Champions League Champion
After overcoming injuries and a bad losing streak that caused her to want to quit back in 2018, Hansen has been on a hot streak since the 2020-21 season. As part of the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2021, she helped her team perform, ultimately winning the final.
Since then, she has continued to assist her team by clinching multiple championships and being a top scorer, even winning the Golden Boot in the 2023-24 season for achieving 21 goals and 19 assists. She was part of the winning team for the 2023-24 Supercopa Feminina, even scoring a hat trick.
#12 Alexia Putellas
Achievements
- 2x Ballon d'Or Féminin
- 2x The Best FIFA Women's Player
- 2x UEFA Women's Player of the Year
- 3x Liga F Champion, 2x Champions League Champion
- 2023 Women's World Cup Champion
- 2x FIFA FIFPro Women's World XI
Putellas established her professional reputation in 2021 and 2022, earning the Ballon d’Or, the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award, and the Best FIFA Women’s Player award both years (becoming the first player to win all three in one year, and then the first player to win any of them consecutively).
In the 2023 FIFA World Cup, she helped Barça in its historic win. Additionally, her contributions in the 2024 UEFA Women’s Euro helped in the team’s victory. Outside of the league, Putellas also participated in the 2024 Olympics.
This year, she has also been called up to the UEFA Women’s Euro.
Is it any surprise that so many women on this list come from FC Barcelona, one of the best women's teams of today?
#11 Ada Hegerberg
Achievements
- 2018 Ballon d'Or Féminin
- 2015-16 UEFA Women's Player of the Year
- 6x Première Ligue Champion
- 5x Champions League Champion
- 2016 FIFA FIFPro Women's World XI
In 2018, Hegerberg was the first woman to ever win the Ballon d’Or Féminin, making history for women in sports. Additionally, she was the first player to score a hat-trick and score in 4 different finals in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. She still holds the record for the most goals scored in the UEFA league.
In 2017, Hegerberg protested against the treatment of women in soccer by the NFF, citing her time with the national team as being “deeply depressing.” She came back in 2023, and despite her absence, Hegerberg is still one of the top-performing players.
#10 Khadija "Bunny" Shaw
Achievements
- 2022 CONCACAF Female Player of the Year
- Première Ligue top scorer 2020-21
- WFA Player of the Year 2024
- WSL Golden boot (2023-24, 2024-25)
As a Jamaican native, Shaw received the CONCACAF Player of the Year Award in 2022 for her many achievements that year: She scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup, was a top scorer in the FA League Cup, defeated Chelsea with her team in the League Cup final, and scored 4 of 7 total goals against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Super League. In her first year with Manchester City, she was the second-highest goalscorer on the team with 16 goals.
Shaw holds the record for most hat-tricks in the Women’s Super League, is Man City’s all-time top scorer, and also holds the record for the most goals in a single season (31 goals in 30 appearances in 2022-23).
#9 Fridolina Rolfö
Achievements
- 4x Domestic League Champion
- 2x Champions League Champion
Rolfö’s most recent achievement was making her 100th appearance for the Swedish national team in July, but that’s not her only claim to fame.
She performs consistently well in both domestic and international matches, contributing to strong team appearances in the UEFA U-19 Championship (2011-12) and World Cup (2019). Her more recent accomplishments include participating in the 2020 Summer Olympics for Sweden and the 2023 FIFA World Cup. Her consistent teamwork and solo goal-scoring make her a star athlete.
#8 Mayra Ramirez
Achievements
- FA Women's Super League (WSL) 2024
- 2x Women's Super League Champion
Ramirez appeared on the radar as a prominent player in 2022 when she scored two goals and one assist with Levante in the Copa América Feminina. Her efforts helped the team qualify for the 2023 World Cup, for which she made the final squad.
In 2024, Ramirez’s transfer fee from Levante to Chelsea was €450,000, which was the most expensive signing in women’s soccer at the time. Clearly, her talents were notable and valuable!
Soon after joining the club, she scored her first goal with the team (the only and winning goal against Crystal Palace) in the FA Cup. In 2025, she received the EFE Trophy for the 2023-24 season.
#7 Mallory Swanson
Achievements
- 2019 Women's World Cup Champion
- 2015 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year
- 2x CONCACAF Women's Championship
- 6x SheBelieves Cup
Swanson has been a soccer virtuoso since her younger years in the U-11 and U-28 levels, training with the Boys Development Academy team as part of Real Colorado.
In 2016, Swanson became the youngest player since 2002 to debut for the USWNT. That year, she intended to play with UCLA but dropped out due to commitment conflicts with the Olympics (where she became the youngest goal scorer for the US) and the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Instead, she made her professional debut in 2017 with the Washington Spirit. There, she was nominated for the title of Rookie of the Year due to being the first teenage player to score multiple goals in a single regular-season match and 6 goals in the whole season.
Since then, she has continued to play well, even winning the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and gold at the 2024 Olympics.
#6 Sakina Karchaoui
Achievements
- 2x Coupe de France
- UNFP Première Ligue young player of the year 2016-17
Karchaoui’s career started hot with her 2016 win as part of the French national team, which led to her selection in the Olympics that year. In 2017, she won the SheBelieves Cup, again with Montpellier, and was subsequently called up to the UEFA Women’s Euro.
She’s been making her way up the ranks, being called up to the FIFA World Cup in 2019 and 2023, the Women’s Euro again in 2022, and the Olympics in 2024.
#5 Keira Walsh
Achievements
- 4x Domestic League Champion
- 2x Champions League Champion
- 3x FIFA FIFPro Women's World XI
A versatile player on the pitch, Walsh became known as the most costly female footballer globally €470,000 as of 2022 (and then the costliest European transfer with a fee of €850 in 2025).
Her list of achievements in various clubs, leagues, and championships is too extensive to list. Some highlights include: debuting with her favourite team (Manchester City) in 2014 at just 17 years old, and becoming vice-captain after her official debut the very next year; earning the title player of the match in City's first-ever Champions League match; and scoring her first goal in the 1-0 win against Brøndby IF in the Champions League last-16 tie.
As a member of Chelsea FC, she is part of one of the best women's soccer leagues today.
#4 Barbra Banda
Achievements
- 2024 African Women's Footballer of the Year
- 2024 NWSL Champion
- 2024 FIFA FIFPro Women's World XI
Widely considered one of the top women’s soccer players in the world, Banda is the captain of the Zambia national team as well as a striker on the NWSL team, Orlando Pride. Her transfer from the Shanghai team to the Orlando team incurred the second-highest fee at the time (2024) at €681 million.
Immediately, she began making moves on the pitch. Scoring multiple goals over just a few games, Banda helped lead her team to win the first trophy in club history for the regular season before then going on to also win the 2024 NWSL Shield.
In May, she broke the record for the fastest hat-trick in just 38 minutes against the Utah Royals, a feat she is plenty used to since she is also Africa’s best scorer in the Olympics, achieving three hat-tricks at two Games!
#3 Naomi Girma
Achievements
- Women's Super League Champion 2024-25
- Olympic Gold Medalist 2024
- 2023 USSF Female Athlete of the Year
Girma is making recent international soccer news for being the first female player to command a signing fee surpassing the million-dollar threshold. Her estimated fee was €1.05 million.
The reason for her high price? Girma has been a consistent pro defender for her team, helping her team to concede only 22 goals in the 2023 season. Her consistent defensive skills earned her the accolades of NWSL Best XI First Team and won NWSL Defender of the Year for two straight years (2022-23). Despite missing the beginning of the 2025 season with Chelsea due to injury, Girma is sure to continue on strong going forward.
#2 Trinity Rodman
Achievements
- 2021 NWSL Champion
- Olympic Gold Medalist 2024
After a promising “career” in youth and high school soccer, Rodman had intended to play with the Washington State Cougars collegiate team in 2020, but the season was cancelled due to the pandemic. So, she pursued professional-level athletics instead.
In 2021, she became the youngest player drafted by the NWSL at age 18. She ended up scoring after being on the field for just five minutes in her debut match. The next year, she was nominated for a Ballon d’Or and the Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award.
She continued to score and perform well, even in the 2024 Olympics, despite a back injury. Eventually, she had to take a break from playing to recover. Upon her return in August of this year, she scored the winning goal in a match.
#1 Aitana Bonmatí
Achievements
- 2x Ballon d'Or Féminin
- 2022-23 UEFA Women's Player of the Year
- 3x Champions League Champion
- 2x FIFA FIFPro Women's World XI
Bonmarí made recent headlines with her wicked curling shot at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 final, which cinched Spain’s victory in the semi-final.
Her career leading up to this year has been successful in many ways.
By 2023, she had won all major club and individual awards available to a European player, including the most decorated season ever for a footballer in the 2022–23 season.
She is widely regarded as one of the best players in women's soccer and among the greatest of all time.
Keep an eye out in the coming years to discover even more talented women in sports! Women's soccer is experiencing a surge in popularity, so it will surely become much more competitive as more women are able to train and compete with better facilities.
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