Over the past several years, women’s football has become increasingly popular and is still growing, with more and more people worldwide having access to the beautiful game at the grassroots level. However, without those football players who helped shape the game in its early years, it would not be where it is now.
Considering all the factors and making sure nothing is overlooked, GIVEMESPORT has created a list of some of the greatest women’s football players of all time and ranked them according to the following standards:
Factors that rank
Wins of major awards
statistics, like as goals, assists, and appearances.
International longevity rates
The women’s game’s legacy
11Alex Morgan
International caps – 224
One of the most recognisable female football players in the world is Alex Morgan. She scored 123 goals over her illustrious 14-year career at the highest level, placing her fifth on the all-time leading goalscoring list with 224 appearances for the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT).
In 2015 and 2019, she was a member of the teams that won two consecutive Women’s World Cups. In the latter, she scored in the semi-final to eliminate England, and she celebrated by making the now-famous tea-sipping motion. At the 2012 London Olympics, she also took home the gold medal.
She played the most of her career at the club level in the United States’ National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), where she was a 2013 league champion with the Portland Thorns. Although she also had a brief loan stint in England with Tottenham Hotspur in the 2020 Women’s Super League, she also spent some time with Lyon, where she won the treble and her only Women’s Champions League.
After playing for the San Diego Wave for the last time, the two-time U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year hung up her boots for the last time in September 2024. She captained the team in her final game, concluding her career with more than 200 goals and 88 assists in 337 club and national team appearances.
10Hope Solo
International caps – 202
Despite some debate throughout her career, Hope Solo’s skill in goal remained indisputable. She is still the only women’s goalie to have more than 200 caps for her nation, having earned 202 for the USWNT.
Solo was a rock on the pitch and played a major role in the United States’ World Cup victory in 2015. She won the Golden Glove award, her second overall after winning it in the 2011 World Cup. She also took home two gold medals at the Olympics.
She conceded only 117 goals in her net and preserved 102 clean sheets to put her career in numerical perspective. With Solo in goal, the USWNT won an incredible 153 games, but she only lost 11 of them. She will therefore surely be remembered as one of the best goalkeepers in women’s football history.
9Aitana Bonmati
International caps – 83
Aitana Bonmati was pushed into senior proceedings in 2016–17, which was not surprising given that she had been with Barcelona since 2012 and had spent six years honing her diverse skill set at La Masia. However, it was in 2018–19 that she had her breakout season. The 27-year-old, who has played more than 200 games for the Spanish club, is a once-in-a-generation player who is the backbone of any squad she plays for.
Even though she plays a position that isn’t usually given much attention, Bonmati’s three consecutive Ballon d’Or victories only serve to highlight her exceptional talent. With no signs of slowing down, the high-flying Spaniard will be aiming to win the European Championships, the only prize she has yet to win in her career.
She played a key role in the middle of the park during Spain’s 2023 World Cup victory, as she has in three of Barcelona’s Women’s Champions League championships. It’s reasonable to argue that her club and her nation would not have achieved such success without her. She is currently the highest-paid player in women’s football, which is obviously not surprising.
8Christine Sinclair
International caps – 331
Only recently, at the age of 41, did Christine Sinclair hang up her boots after the 2024 NWSL season ended. At the age of 16, the Canadian striker made her debut for her nation, and she went on to win an incredible 331 caps while scoring 190 goals.
With Cristiano Ronaldo’s 135 international goals for Portugal coming in considerably short of Sinclair’s tally, she now tops the list of all-time top international football goal scorers, male or female. She also contributed 55 assists for Canada, which helped them win gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Throughout her whole club career, Sinclair played in North America. She most recently played with the Portland Thorns, where she scored 75 goals in 220 games, becoming their all-time top scorer. She ranked third on the NWSL’s all-time regular season scoring record at the time of her retirement, behind forward Sam Kerr, who is now with Chelsea Women, and Lynn Williams.
7Homare Sawa
International caps – 205
The year 2011 may be the best way to describe the skill and influence of Japanese football icon Homare Sawa.
Sawa almost single-handedly guided Japan to World Cup success in their first-ever major international event final, just months after the Great East Japan Earthquake, one of the worst earthquakes ever recorded. Sawa was awarded the Golden Boot for her five goals, which included the game-winning goal in extra time in the final that forced penalties. As the top player in the event, she also took home the Golden Ball.
She became the first Asian football player, male or female, to win the prized accolade when she was crowned the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year. Before officially retiring in 2015 after 205 games and 83 goals, she helped her team win the 2014 Women’s Asian Cup in Vietnam and led Japan to a silver medal in the 2012 London Olympics the following year.
6Abby Wambach
International caps – 255
Prior to Sinclair surpassing her by six goals, Abby Wambach was the all-time top scorer on the international scene. Despite this, she made her debut in 2001 and scored 184 goals in 255 games for the United States. In 2015, she would score in her last game for her nation.
She competed in four Women’s World Cups during her international career, winning only on her last try in 2015. She also won two Olympic gold medals, one in London in 2012 and one in Athens in 2004.
Wambach, who stands five feet eleven inches tall and is known for her physical presence and aerial prowess, won six USSF Women’s Athlete of the Year awards, was voted FIFA World Women’s Player of the Year in 2012, and will go down in history as a true goalscoring legend.
5Sun Wen
International caps – 163
After winning FIFA’s Player of the Century title in 1999, which she shared with Michelle Akers of the USWNT, Sun Wen is regarded as the best women’s football player in Asia and China.
Sun, who played for China’s national team from 1989 to 2006, made her debut at the age of 17 and participated in four Women’s World Cups. She had her major public debut at the 1999 World Cup in the USA, when she won the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot for her seven goals, despite China losing to the home country on penalties. She is nevertheless regarded by many as one of the best players in World Cup history.
Sun was regarded as the complete striker due to her skill, shooting ability, and passing range. She helped China win the Asian Cup four times between 1991 and 1997 and even came out of retirement to assist them win it again in 2006. She scored 106 goals over her 163 caps by the end of her career.
4Birgit Prinz
International caps – 214
With more caps (214) and goals (128) than any other player in the nation, Birgit Prinz is regarded as the best German women’s football player of all time.
Prinz played in Germany for the majority of her career, playing for both FSV Frankfurt and 1. FFC Frankfurt, which is now known as Eintracht Frankfurt. She made 247 appearances overall, winning 10 German Cups and nine Frauen-Bundesliga titles.
Additionally, she would play for the Women’s United Soccer Association’s (WUSA) Carolina Courage for a short time in 2002–03, the first professional women’s league in the United States, where she made 35 appearances, scored 23 goals, and won the WUSA championship. She scored 281 goals in her 282 club appearances, which is an incredibly outstanding return.
Along with winning the World Player of the Year title three times, she also guided Germany to World Cup victory twice, in 2003 and 2007.
3Michelle Akers
International caps – 155
The only player on this list to thrive at two positions on the pitch is Michelle Akers, who began her career as a striker before switching back to a defensive midfield position after being diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 1994.
However, Akers ended her career with 105 goals in 156 USWNT appearances, including 39 in a single calendar year in 1991. In addition, she scored 10 goals on her way to winning the World Cup, which still retains the record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup campaign.
She was an impact player for her country and controlled games in the midfield, even though she never recovered her prolific play after receiving her diagnosis. Before retiring in 2000, she shared the FIFA Player of the Century award with Sun Wen and went on to win a second World Cup in 1999.
2Mia Hamm
International caps – 276
Mia Hamm, who is regarded as the best player in USWNT history, was a leader on and off the pitch in addition to being a goal scorer and creator for her teammates.
Hamm, who debuted at the age of 15, is ranked fourth on the United States’ all-time appearances list with 276 caps. She led the University of North Carolina to four consecutive National Championships during her collegiate career, earning her a place alongside NBA star Michael Jordan as one of the school’s best athletes.
Although she currently ranks third all-time, she held the global record for most international goals scored (158) when she retired in 2004. Knowing exactly when to drive at goal and when to shift outside and provide a cross for her teammates, her excellent football IQ enabled her to play the game like a midfielder but in an advanced forward position.
After three tries, she finally won the coveted World Cup winners medal in 1999 when she converted her penalty kick to assist the United States defeat China. Even twenty years after retiring, she is regarded as one of the greatest legends of the USWNT because of her unwavering work ethic and commitment towards the game, which led to her recording 147 assists at the international level and making her the first player in U.S. football history to have over 300 goal involvements.
1Marta
International caps – 214
In women’s football, Marta is perhaps the greatest of all time. One of the most naturally talented athletes the sport has ever seen, the Brazilian forward’s street-style flair has come to be associated with some of Brazil’s greatest football players. To illustrate how good she was in her prime, she was even compared to the famous Brazilian superstar Pele.
At the age of 16, Marta made her debut for her country in 2002. She won two silver medals and became the first player to score at five consecutive Olympic Games. With 17 goals, she also holds the record for most goals scored in both men’s and women’s World Cups. In 2024, Marta announced his retirement from the Seleção as the team’s all-time top scorer with 119 goals, capping an incredible 22-year international career.
Marta, who is 38 years old, continues to play for the Orlando Pride in the NWSL, where she was instrumental in their 2024 NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship victories. After that season, many believed the six-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year winner would be considering retirement. However, she signed a new two-year deal before of the 2025 season, thus it appears she will play until she is at least 40 years old, if not older.
She stands out from the others because of her longevity, amazing skill set, and dazzling brightness. No one has ever been like Marta, and it’s possible that no player will ever be as exceptional as her. She’s just a talent for the next generation.
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