14 Female Players you Need to Know About

Did you know that the Women’s Super League (WSL) is set to become the UK’s fourth most watched domestic sports league?

Recent studies have shown that around 114,000 of us are tuning into the WSL every week on Sky Sports. Plus another 501,000 checking out the action on BBC too.

Moreover, the WSL Manchester derby, back in October, attracted a record 1.1 million viewers on BBC One.

Only the men’s Premier League and Championship, as well as Cricket’s The Hundred competition get more sets of eyes.

But women’s football isn’t just on the rise in the UK. Research in 2019 found that a whopping 1.12 billion viewers tuned in to the last Women’s World Cup. Nearly 83 million of those watched the United States lift the trophy against the Netherlands in the Final.

With this meteoric rise in mind, we thought we’d tell you all about 14 players you need to have on your radar from around the women’s game. Keep your eyes peeled for a few of these names, maybe making their Futera card debuts soon too.

1. Sam Kerr

2. Fran Kirby

3. Alexia Putellas

4. Vivianne Miedema

5. Caroline Graham Hansen

6. Irene Paredes

7. Christiane Endler

8. Marianne-Antoinette Katoto

9. Sam Mewis

10. Ji So-Yun

11. Debinha

12. Lucy Bronze

13. Leah Willliamson

14. Marta

Sam Kerr

Arguably the best player in the WSL right now. If you don’t know, Sam Kerr is the lethal striker heading Chelsea’s enviable attacking options.

Last year’s WSL Golden Boot winner is at it again this year bagging nine times in nine league appearances for the Blues this season. She also has three assists to her name, proving she’s not all about the goals.

Kerr has formed a formidable partnership with fellow striker, and the next player on our watchlist, Fran Kirby. This understanding was key to Chelsea securing back-to-back Championships in 2019 and ‘20.

Fran Kirby

With six goals and five assists in her nine appearances this term, Kirby is once again showing why she deserves top billing in the WSL.

After an incredible season in 2018 which saw Kirby bag both the PFA and Football Writer’s Women’s Player of the Year Awards, she was diagnosed with Pericarditis; an injury which ruled her out of the 2019 campaign.

However, Kirby returned in December 2020 in red-hot form. From a purely selfish and patriotic perspective, it’s great to see her back and firing again with the European Championships just around the corner.

Alexia Putellas

Moving away from the WSL for a moment we come to, arguably, the best female footballer in the world right now. In a team full of superstars, Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas stands out.

Putellas has been a huge part of the Catalan’s recent successes. Unstoppable with the ball at her feet, the Barca captain was integral to them winning the Treble last season.

On a personal note, Putellas had a year to remember too. She became the first Spaniard ever to win the Women’s UEFA Player of the Year.

Vivianne Miedema

Back to the WSL now and Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema. The Gunners have long been recognised as one of the top dogs in the women’s game and Miedema’s form has propelled them to the top of the league this year too.

The talented 25-year-old from the Netherlands has wasted no time in becoming the WSL’s most prolific striker with 64 league goals. She also holds the record for the most goals in a season notching 22 in the 2018/19 season.

Miedema’s been pretty handy for her country too, winning the Golden Boot at the Tokyo Olympics, scoring 10 goals in just four games.

Caroline Graham Hansen

If we tell you that in the Barcelona Treble-winning campaign Hansen claimed 19 assists and 12 goals in 23 appearances, you’d probably understand why she makes our list. And that was just in the league.

Irene Paredes

Another baller from the Barca women’s ranks. Following a stellar year leading Paris Saint- Germain to their first-ever league title, Paredes’ contract with the French giants ran out.

Since signing for Barca on a free in the summer of 2021, the 30-year-old has gone on to form a watertight centre-back partnership with fellow Spaniard Mapi León.

Christiane Endler

Considered to be the best goalkeeper in the women’s game, Christiane Endler is the only stopper you need to know about.

A mainstay of the PSG team which ended Lyon’s 14-year league dominance, Endler conceded just 4 times over 22 appearances in the Parisian’s title-winning season. Mind-blowing numbers.

However, the glove may be on the other hand now, as Endler recently signed a three-year contract with Lyon following her PSG contract.

Marianne-Antoinette Katoto

Another huge name in the PSG team. At just 23 years old, Marianne-Antoinette Katoto is on her way to becoming a household name on the world stage too.

Her PSG numbers do the talking. Since 2015, the target woman has bagged 98 goals in just 103 games scoring 21 times in that historic league-winning season last term. She’s hit the ground running again this campaign with eight goals to her name already.

Sam Mewis

If you know your women’s football then you’ll already be aware of the powerhouse that is the American Ladies team. The US team is the most successful national side in the game with four World Cup wins under their belt, the most recent of which came in the 2019 tournament.

At that competition, Sam Mewis ruled supreme over many a midfield. She’s now back ruling the roost in her native USA with Kansas City Current.

However, Mewis also spent some time as a midfield general at Manchester City. During her time with the Citizens, Mewis bagged 17 goals in a total of 32 appearances. A couple of those strikes came in a successful defence of the Women’s FA Cup, in which City went on to beat Everton 3-1 after extra time in the Final.

Ji So-Yun

Chelsea’s number 10 is a mainstay in the WSL Team of the Year line-ups. Having transferred from INAC Kobe Leonessa back in 2014, Ji So-Yun enjoys cult status on the King’s Road.

Through her career with the Blues, So-Yun has collected five WSL winners medals as well as two FA Cups, two League Cups, and a Women’s FA Community Shield to boot - plus a host of individual honours including a Women’s PFA Players’ Player and FA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year award. Not to mention her FIFA Women’s World Player nominations.

Debinha

We couldn’t see this countdown go by without including some Brazilian flair. Debinha is currently in the US with North Carolina Courage, where she’s been tearing it up since 2017.

Capable of incredible things with the ball at her feet, Debinha has been one of the shining stars in the Courage team which topped the goal-scorer charts in the NWSL Challenge Cup, before notching three times in the regular season.

Lucy Bronze

A household name of the British game, Lucy Bronze is a regular in the WSL teams of the year and features in the top 10 female players in the world. Although knee surgery curtailed her recent success, Bronze has been a mainstay of the Manchester City and England set-up.

Driving runs from right-back and assists are the name of her game, and when she’s in full flow it’s easy to see why she’s so difficult to handle. The 30-year-old has had an incredible career, with stints at Sunderland, Everton, Liverpool, Lyon and, of course, City under her belt, amassing a wealth of honours. And we’re 100 percent sure she’s not done yet!

Leah Williamson

While Bronze’s name may be a familiar one to many followers of the beautiful game, a relatively new name to watch may be Leah Williamson. We’re predicting huge things for the 24-year-old.

Her young years may not show it, but Williamson has made over 130 appearances for Arsenal, becoming the youngest player ever to reach the 100-game milestone for the Gunners. After signing up to the Arsenal Centre of Excellence at the tender age of nine, the versatile centre-back has gone on to become a household name.

Also a regular for England, Williamson has made 24 appearances at the heart of the Lionesses’ defence and was a pivotal member of the squad that went on to lift the 2019 SheBelieves Cup.

Marta

If you’ve never heard of Marta, then you’ve never heard of women’s football… At 35 years young, the talismanic forward may be coming to the twilight of her career, but she’s still out there and proving dangerous.

Now plying her trade with Orlando Pride, Marta has a wealth of trophies at Club level. But it’s on the international stage with her beloved Brazil that she’s been ripping up trees. At the 2015 tournament she became the all-time top goalscorer in the Women’s World Cup, an honour she still holds to this day with 17 strikes. In addition to that, Marta is also the only player ever, male or female, to have scored in five World Cups.

Four goals for the Pride in the National Women’s Super League last term proved she’s still got it. Class is forever, right?

Fourth and rising

If those viewing numbers we outlined earlier continue, the women’s game is set to become the fourth most-popular domestic sports league in the UK. And with players like these 14 on the scene, it’s little wonder why.

There can now be no doubt that women’s football is on the rise in the UK and around the world. We’re pleased to be a part of the journey.