The greatest women's footballers players of all time
The 2023 Women's World Cup will showcase the best female talent the game has to offer, with players from around the world competing to make their name in the history books.
But anyone who rises to the top in Australia and New Zealand this summer to cement their legacy will join an existing group of global legends who have raised the flag for women's football.
Whether they are pioneers, pioneers, players with incredible longevity, ridiculous numbers, or people who thrive when it matters most, the 10 players on this list are all an inspiration to the next generation in one way or another - and all have done their part to promote women's football as a whole.
10. Christine Sinclair
Christine Sinclair
Longevity has helped Christine Sinclair continue past her 40th birthday as she gears up for her sixth World Cup tournament, scoring in all five previous tournaments she's participated in - previously only Marta did this, while only Cristiano Ronaldo has done it since. . The Canadian has been nominated eight times as FIFA World Player of the Year and has helped various teams dominate at club level in the United States, winning a total of five league titles.
But at the international level, Sinclair's track record is truly impressive. His 190 goals are a world record for both sexes, surpassing the previous record held by Abby Wambach in 2020. International silver titles have not escaped his attention either, bringing Canada won an Olympic gold medal in 2021.
9. Kristine Lilies
Kristine lilies
Kristine Lilly broke the all-time international record for a male or female player in 1999 and went on to play for another 11 years. By the time of his retirement in 2010, the American legend had made 354 appearances for his country over the course of 23 years.
It shows their dedication and incredible longevity to remain an important player since 1987, debuting in high school, going through five World Cups and outlasting any other member of his generation. This is great America.
A goal-scoring midfielder, Lilly made 30 World Cup appearances in her career, catching all of them. She won the competition twice in 1991 and 1999, as well as Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2004. Her break into the goal in extra time to bring home the golden goal in the 1999 World Cup final also changed the history of women's football.
8. Carli Lloyd
carli lloyd
The best players will appear in the most important moments, which is exactly what Carli Lloyd did at the 2015 World Cup to bring home the first trophy for the United States at this tournament in 16 long years.
The striker is already a 10-year veteran of the team at this stage and one of the best in the world, but it is his impact in this tournament that has cemented his legacy. Lloyd has scored in every knockout, including a hat-trick in the first 16 minutes of the final - his third strike from the midfield has also earned him a Puskas Award nomination. Catching up with the iconic generation of 99ers, Lloyd previously led the United States to consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012, won the 2019 World Cup, and finished his international career with over 130 goals out of a total of 300 appeared. Lloyd's success also made her a celebrity, as she was the highest-rated woman on FIFA 16, the first-year female players were included in the game.
7. Abby Wambach
Abby Wambach
Until Christine Sinclair broke her record, Abby Wambach was the all-time top international goalscorer - 184 goals in a 14-year career with the United States won a World Cup and two Olympic gold medals.
She became the face of Team USA in the late 2000s and early 2010s and was on Time's 2015 list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Her impact on later generations of Americans was also shown in a 2019 game when each player wore the name of a woman she inspired on her jersey and hers. was chosen by Alex Morgan.
In retirement, Wambach has seen two books become New York Times bestsellers - an autobiography in 2016 and Wolfpack: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power and Change the Game in 2019, The following book is based on an opening speech she gave at a famous global conference. women at Barnard College in New York last year.
6. Lily
Lily
A century ago, Lily Parr was football's first female superstar and a true pioneer and pioneer at a time when women's football was inexplicably banned by the FA in a deliberate attempt to prevent it.
Contemporary sources claim that Parr had a harder hit than any male player at the time, and as the big-name star of the Dick team, Kerr Ladies drew 53,000 spectators to Goodison Park in 1920, a record The English record for a domestic club game is 103 years until 2023. Parr scored nearly 1,000 goals in a 31-year career with Dick, and Kerr, including a 43-goal season when he was just 14 years old. In 2002, she was inducted into the National Football Museum's Hall of Fame, where she was also the first player to have a memorial erected.
5. Ton Van
Ton Van is the best player in the 1999 World Cup
China hasn't been a dominant force in women's football since Sun Wen hung up his boots in 2006 and that pretty much tells its own story, having been one of the best teams in the world during the period. the legendary striker's golden glory.
Although the 1999 World Cup was famous for its victory by the United States, it was Sun's China that made it to the final and it was she, not an American player, who went away with the Ballon d'Or as the starting player. best and the Golden Shoe as the top scorer. She also scored in China's narrow loss to the United States in the 1996 Olympic gold medal match.
In 2000, Sun was named FIFA's Player of the Century alongside Michelle Akers, both of whom were named on Pelé's list of the 125 greatest living players.
