Aitana Bonmati

10. Leah Williamson

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.

9. Claudia Pina

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.

8. Ewa Pajor 

The top scorer in Liga F, she has surpassed Spanish stars such as Pina, Putellas, and Bonmatí 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.

7. Patri Guijarro 

Long overshadowed by Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí 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.

6. Temwa Chawinga

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. 

5. Hannah Hampton

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.

4.  Alexia Putellas

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

3. Alessia Russo

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. 

2.  Mariona Caldentey

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.

1.Aitana Bonmatí

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.

Discover the whole list here.

Aitana Bonmatí put on a masterclass as FC Barcelona blew away DUX Logroño 4-0 in the third round of Liga F Moeve. She opened the scoring with a stunning back-heel just after the 20-minute mark, then doubled the lead minutes later with a fierce strike from the edge of the area. Ewa Pajor and Kika Nazareth added to the rout to seal Barça’s third straight win and maintain their title push.

FC Barcelona Femení continues to energize the women’s game, combining explosive performances with strategic squad changes and forward-thinking leadership. After a commanding 8–1 victory over Athletic Club—highlighted by a wonder goal from Patri Guijarro and a brace each from Aitana Bonmatí and Vicky López - who dedicates all her goals to her late mom, who passed when López was a little girl. 

FC Barcelona roared back into action with an unstoppable display—crushing newly promoted Alhama CF 8–0 at the Johan Cruyff Stadium. Caroline Graham Hansen struck twice, Aitana Bonmatí, Ewa Pajor, and Ona Batlle added to the rout, and substitute Clàudia Pina capped her entry with a dramatic hat-trick. The dominant result, celebrated amidst the squad’s official presentation and fan festivities, sets a powerful tone for Barça’s 2025/26 Liga F campaign.

Aitana Bonmatí, Alexia Putellas—or will the list of Ballon d’Or winners gain a new name? The biggest contender is this year’s Champions League winner, Arsenal, with seven players on the shortlist. Many of them—such as Leah Williamson and Alessia Russo—also won the Euros. Which of them will be crowned the best footballer in the world for 2025?

Spain, the reigning world champions, will appear in the final for the first time ever, where they will face England. This is the same matchup as in the last World Cup in 2023, where Spain won 1-0.

This is Spain's first ever Euro final. In 2022, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by England, despite opening the scoring, but England managed to turn the game around and go on to win the entire championship.

• Spain midfielder and two‑time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí was hospitalized in Madrid on June 27, 2025, following symptoms of fever and a positive test for viral meningitis. She missed friendly match against Japan.
• On June 29, the RFEF announced that Bonmatí was discharged and expected to rejoin the squad in the coming days, though her availability for the group opener is still uncertain.

Learn more here.

• Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí, 27, was admitted to a Madrid hospital with viral meningitis just days before the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 kicks off.
• She missed Spain’s 3–1 friendly win over Japan after reporting persistent fever; follow-up tests confirmed the diagnosis.
• Coach Montse Tomé and medical staff confirmed the illness is “under control,” though no precise return date has been provided.

Find the full story here. 

Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati, winner of the Ballon d'Or in 2023 and 2024, became the 1st female footballer to have a plane named after her. Her voice will also welcome the passengers on board Vueling flights.

The company hopes to raise awareness of women's sport with this move and the collaboration with the Spanish footballer, to which it recently committed itself.

As the winner of The Best FIFA Women's Player for 2024 at the ceremony on Tuesday, Aitana Bonmati was the highlight selection for the top 11 of the year, with fellow Barca stars Irene Paredes, Ona Batlle, Caroline Graham Hansen, Salma Paralluelo and Patri Guijarro.