Bonmatí, Kerr… See full list of world best female footballers

Women’s sports draw a sizable audience nowadays. It should come as no surprise that women’s football is becoming more and more popular, given it is one of the most popular sports in the world.

After assessing the previous year and the first half of the current 2023–24 campaign, Crispng have assembled a ranking of the best 10 female football players as of 2024.

We have taken a close look at each player’s accomplishments, on-field exploits, team contributions, and effects at both the club and national levels. Honourable mentions in this world class list includes: Linda Caicedo, Lauren James, Kadidiatou Diani, Mapi Leon, Lena Oberdorf

1. Aitana Bonmati

Aitana Bonmati, who is in her mid-20s, already has a dazzling trophy cabinet filled with some of the most coveted honours in the football world. Her accomplishments are very admirable and deserving of recognition.

Bonmati is a reliable player for her club and her Spanish national team, playing in the midfield alongside the seasoned Alexia Putellas for both FC Barcelona and her country.

With FC Barcelona, the Spaniard has won 19 trophies in total, including two UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies (in 2020–21 and 2022-23) and four Liga F trophies in a row (in 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2022-23).

She has scored 21 goals in 59 games while playing for Spain. She was a vital member of the squad that won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, and she received the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament.

Thanks to her recent on-field achievements, Bonmati has been awarded the three most prestigious individual football honours: the Ballon d’Or Feminin (2023), the Best FIFA Women’s Player, and the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year. Bonmatí is the best female footballer in the world by a long distance as of 2024.

2. Sam Kerr

Sam Kerr’s place in the list of the greatest players in sports history cannot be questioned. This is further demonstrated by the fact that she was pictured alongside modern-day men’s football sensation Kylian Mbappe on the worldwide cover of EA Sports’ FIFA 23 Ultimate edition. It was the first time a female football player was shown on a FIFA video game’s worldwide cover.

The Australian is the only female football player in history to win the Golden Boot in three different competitions on three different continents: the FA WSL (in 2020–21 and 2021-22), the NWSL (in 2017–18 and 2018–2019), and the W-League (in 2017–18 and 2018–19).

Kerr also guided her country to its first-ever semifinal in 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Her inspirational guidance enabled the Australian squad to get to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 semifinals for the first time.

3. Salma Paralluelo

Salma Paralluelo, who is just in her 20s, has a résumé that will probably leave you speechless and wondering. Paralluelo made her debut for Barcelona in 2022 and two weeks later, she marked her debut for Spain with an incredible hat trick.

The former sprinter who won two gold medals at the 2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival was a member of the FC Barcelona team that won the UEFA Women’s Champions League, Liga F, and Supercopa de Espana Feminina in 2022–2023. The following year, she also took home the Supercopa de Espana Femenina.

Paralluelo was essential to Spain’s victory in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. She led Spain to its first-ever tournament final by scoring goals in both the quarterfinal matchup against the Netherlands and the semifinal matchup against Sweden.

4. Alexia Putellas

Alexia Putellas is a legendary football player who should be among the top female footballers in the world in 2024. The Spanish captain of FC Barcelona has won two UEFA Women’s Champions League titles, seven Liga F titles, and seven Copas de la Reina trophies with the Catalans.

Putellas has the amazing record of being the FC Barcelona women’s team’s highest goalscorer (184) and the second-most appearances with over 408 in total. With 113 caps to her credit, she has also played the most for the Spanish women’s national team.

The Spanish midfielder made football history by being the first female player to win the Best FIFA Women’s Player, Ballon d’Or Feminin, and UEFA Women’s Player of the Year awards in the same year (2021). She accomplished the same thing in 2022, making history as the only female football player to win any of the three titles in a row. She also played a crucial role in the Spanish team that won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.

5. Alexandra Popp

Alexandra Popp is a born leader and a legend in German football. Currently, the seasoned player serves as a striker for both the German national women’s team and Vfl Wolfsburg. Her ability on the pitch is demonstrated by the fact that, even at the age of thirty, she is still one of Germany’s most dependable players.

Popp has three UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies: two with Vfl Wolfsburg in 2012–13 and 2013–14, and one with FCR 2001 Duisburg in 2008–09. Furthermore, she has won an incredible twelve DFB-Pokal Women medals in addition to seven Frauen-Bundesliga wins.

Popp took home the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics with her national team. She has 67 goals in 135 games as a Germany international to date. She was appointed the German women’s team captain in February 2019. Popp undoubtedly belongs in the elite group of 2024’s female football players.

6. Keira Walsh

It would be sacrilegious to compile a list of the top female football players for 2024 without Keira Walsh. Because With the exception of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the British player has an impressive list of accomplishments.

Walsh holds the record of the most expensive female footballer in history. She accomplished this feat when FC Barcelona paid USD 504,250 to recruit her from Manchester City in 2022. She won numerous major trophies with the Manchester team including FA Women’s League Cup.

After joining FC Barcelona, she kept up her winning streak. In her first season with the Catalan club (2022-23), she won the UEFA Women’s Champions League, the Liga F, and the Supercopa de Espana Femenina the next season.

With her national team, Walsh has taken home two significant trophies: the Women’s Finalissima (2023) and the UEFA Women’s Championship (2022).

7. Fridolina Rolfo

Another veteran player who has played for Bayern Munich and Vfl Wolfsburg, Fridolina Rolfö is a member of the FC Barcelona team that won the treble.The Swedish forward gave FC Barcelona the trophy in the 2022–23 UEFA Women’s Champions League final, when she scored the winning goal against her old club, Wolfsburg.

Rolfo participated in the Swedish teams that won silver medals in both the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. In the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, she also contributed to the national team’s third-place finish.

In eighty-three matches for Sweden, the forward has scored 28 goals. She is deserving of a spot on the list of the world’s top female football players in 2024.

8. Mary Earps

Mary Earps would have to be included on any ranking of the top female football players in the world in 2024. She isn’t only the best goalie of her generation—quite possibly the best in women’s football history.

The British woman has received multiple awards in her career. Earps was named as the Best FIFA Women’s Keeper in 2022. Her club-record breaking 14 clean sheets in the Women’s Super League 2022–23,  helped Manchester United secure a second-place finish and a UEFA Women’s Champions League spot For the first time in the club’s history. For her efforts in the 2022–2023 season, Earps received the WSL Golden Glove award.

The Super goalie played a key role in England’s 2022 UEFA Women’s Euro victory and their victory over Brazil in the first-ever Women’s Finalissima the following year.

The Lionesses were destined to to win the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 but Olga Carmona’s Spanish side dashed their hopes. That aside, Earps had an outstanding competition and won the Golden Glove award for best shot-stopper.

9. Lucy Bronze

The experienced English defender has competed for and won multiple awards while playing for top-tier football teams around Europe. These include three victories in the Division 1 Feminine division, with Olympique Lyonnais (in 2017–18, 2018–19, and 2019–20), and two FA WSL trophies, with Liverpool (in 2013 and 2014) and Manchester City (in 2016). In 2022–2023 she also raised the Liga F trophy with FC Barcelona.

Her list of accomplishments is not yet complete. In addition, Bronze has won the UEFA Women’s Champions League title four times: once with FC Barcelona in 2022–23 and three times with Olympique Lyonnais in 2017–18, 2018–19, and 2019–20. Additionally, Bronze was a key member of the England team that came second in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and went on to win the 2022 UEFA Women’s Championship and the 2023 Women’s Finalissima.

In 2019, Bronze made history by being the first English player to win the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year title. In 2020, the British player was also crowned the best FIFA women’s player.

10. Olga Carmona

Spanish footballer Olga Carmona completes the list of the top female football players for 2024. She is still in her 20s and has accomplished what many football players aim for over their careers. Only the second Spanish football player since Iker Casillas to win a World Cup as captain is Carmona.

She is the first Spanish player to score in a senior FIFA World Cup final, aside from Andreas Iniesta. The Real Madrid player also accomplished the distinction of being the second player in a single FIFA Women’s World Cup edition to score in both the semifinal and final game after Alex Morgan in 2011.

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