The Guardian has revealed its prestigious annual list of the top 100 female footballers. Who made it into the top ten? If you follow women's football closely, you won't be surprised.
The captain of the Lionesses and Arsenal youth academy graduate, who fulfilled two dreams this year. She has been playing for Arsenal since she was eight, when she joined the club's academy. And this year, she brought the Champions League trophy back to England with the club she loves after 18 years. As if that weren't enough, two months later Williamson led England to defend their title at the Euros, becoming the first England captain to win the title on foreign soil.
The young star of Barcelona and Spain became the top scorer in the Champions League this year. And her successes continue into the new season—for example, she recently helped Spain win the Nations League final with two goals. At only 24, she still has a great deal ahead of her, and it wouldn’t be surprising if this outstanding forward climbs even higher in the top 100 now that she’s firmly established herself for both Barcelona and Spain.
The top scorer in Liga F, she has surpassed Spanish stars such as Pina, Putellas, and BonmatĂ in terms of goals scored. Although she is still waiting for her first Champions League title, Pajor has had a successful year. In addition to her scoring successes in Barcelona, she also did well in the national team. Thanks mainly to her efforts, Poland qualified for the Euros for the first time, where they were not among the favorites, but still managed to defeat the much more favored Denmark.
Long overshadowed by Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatà for both club and country, her years of orchestrating play frequently went unnoticed. Now, however, she has begun adding goals to her repertoire, making her an even more intimidating challenge for opponents. An injury disrupted the latter part of her year, and both Barcelona and Spain clearly feel her absence when she’s not on the pitch. She breaks into the top 10 for the first time, after placing 13th last year and 11th in 2023. She is currently injured, but fans of both Barca and Spain are exciting for her comeback.
The only representative of the American NWSL on the list. Chawinga will at last have the chance to showcase her talent on a continental stage when she represents Malawi at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations — a reward she has more than earned. Building on an outstanding first season in the NWSL, the Kansas City Current forward netted 15 goals to claim her second Golden Boot as she helped lead her team to the NWSL Shield. Sadly, her Current lost in playoff to NY Gotham.Â
Hampton was also voted BBC Player of the Year by fans. No wonder. The player, who as a child was told by doctors that she should never play sports, was Chelsea's unshakeable number one this year, winning the domestic treble and securing the title for England at Euro She became a heroine when she saved two penalty kicks, especially the final one.
La Reina, as Putellas is also known, has fully put her injury troubles in the past, reclaiming her starring role for both Barcelona and Spain in 2025. Her 16 league goals and 11 assists last season outshone her teammates as the club marched to further domestic triumphs. She continued her strong form at Euro 2025, though she fell just short of leading Spain to their first European crown
She scored the first and last goals for the Lionesses this year. But that's not Russo's only achievement. The 26-year-old Englishwoman shone at Arsenal and in the national team, celebrating success with both. This includes her individual career—she became the WSL's top scorer. She celebrated the Champions League title with Arsenal, and her goal in the Euro final sent the match into a penalty shootout, where the English women defended their 2022 victory. She has also been successful in front of goal this year, scoring four goals in the Champions League.Â
Arsenal's magician. Caldentey’s finest season to date has earned her a career-best ranking. After narrowly missing out on the top 10 last year. Playing a pivotal role in Arsenal’s Champions League triumph and standing out for Spain during their run to the Euro 2025 final where she scored and opened the score for Spain.
Winner of the Golden Ball in 2025, when she became the first player ever to achieve a hattrick. She earned Uefa’s Champions League Player of the Season award for 2024-25 and was also honoured as Player of the Tournament at Euro 2025. While remaining central to Barcelona’s domestic dominance, she also delivered in decisive moments — including providing the spark Spain needed in their Euro semi-final against Germany.
