Giovanna Waksman

OL Lyonnes

Her first word was “football.” The twist is that her father Renato, himself a footballer, had actually hoped for a daughter because he worried a son might want to follow him into the difficult world of football.

Rasheedat Ajibade

Paris Saint-Germain FC

Atlético Madrid once surprised her by flying her mother to Spain for a match, the first time her mother had watched her play live. Ajibade marked the occasion by scoring.

Manuela Giugliano

AS Roma

Her mother loved volleyball and once tried to sign her up for it, but the coach noticed Manuela played more with her feet than her hands.

Mayssa Baha

Barcelona Femení

At 15 years, 8 months and 10 days, she became the youngest goalscorer in both FC Barcelona and Liga F history.

Hanna Wieczerzak

Real Madrid

In 2026, she became the first Polish woman to join Real Madrid.

Abby Erceg

Wellington Phoenix FC

In 2014, Erceg became the first New Zealand footballer, male or female, to reach 100 international caps, achieving the milestone against Tonga.

Janelle Cordia

Fortuna Hjørring

Janelle has a dog called Stella Mia.

Rachel Maltby

Aston Villa FC

Her dog is a cocker spaniel named Kyra, who joined her for the WSL’s Golden Paw agility competition.

Sara Doorsoun

Eintracht Frankfurt

Sara usually starts her day at 7:00 (or 7:30 when she “sleeps in”) with coffee, breakfast and a long walk with her dog Peanut.

Stine Sandbech

BK Häcken

She co-launched a one-step wellness journal project called Oakmind with her husband Emil, aimed at helping people manage everyday stress.

Sarah Gorden

Angel City FC

She founded HoodSpace in 2020, a non-profit focusing on mental health and wellness for girls of colour through meditation, yoga and sport.

Nicole Anyomi

London City Lionesses

She loves dancing and fashion. She studied fashion management and founded her own fashion brand, ETONAM.

Janne Krumme

Eintracht Frankfurt

Before an evening match, she sometimes spends part of the day painting to stay calm.

Lucia Pastrenge

Ternana

A lucky phone call with her grandmother became Lucia’s special pre-match ritual. Before scoring her first Serie A goal, a dramatic 92nd-minute winner against Inter, her grandmother wished her luck, and they later agreed to repeat the call before future matches.

Taylor Hinds

Arsenal WFC

Her go-to music before match to get her motivated is All In by Lil Baby.