The 10 Greatest Female Soccer Players of All Time

Just as the men soccer, women too have a couple of players to be proud of. They have helped in the growth of soccer by making it a popular sport.

The sport has also gained the attention of punters on Betway and other betting sites.

Here is a list of the greatest female soccer players in history who have amazed the world with their ability on the field. They are recognized for their individual accolades and team success both at the club and international levels.

10. Nadine Angerer

Angerer is the first goalkeeper ever to win the FIFA player of the year Award. During the world cup in 2007, she shut out the opposition over a record of 540 minutes. In 2013 during the European championships, she saved two penalty kicks in the final that made Germany win over Norway.

Angerer remained an elite player to the very end and earned a place on the World Cup all-star team following her last tournament experience in 2015.

9. Kristine Lilly

Lilly started her career in 1987. Amongst the male and female players, she is the only one who has earned 352 caps. She competed in five world cups where she emerged the winner in two and became the third in the rest. She has participated three times in the Olympics and won two gold medals. She played for the Boston Breakers for four seasons. Currently, she is an assistant coach for the team.

8. Sun Wen

Sun Wen is a star. Her greatest accomplishment was when she led China to finish second in the women’s world cup of 1999. She won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball for the leading scorer and the tournament’s MVP.

Another of her achievements is that she scored 106 times for China in 152 matches. She was awarded the FIFA Female Player of the century in 2002, alongside Michelle Akers.

7. Abby Wambach

Abby Wambach has broken the record of being the only footballer to score 184 international goals. In the three world cups that she has played, she finished second once and third twice. She also participated in three Olympics, where she won gold medals three times.

Apart from these accomplishments, she is also the first player to win the AP Athlete of the year award in 2013 and the first American woman to win the FIFA World Player of the Year Award in 2012.

6. Birgit Prinz

Birgit is the most capped non-American soccer player. She helped Germany win the World Cup title in 2003 and 2007. In the years 2000, 2004, and 2008, she won Olympic bronze medals.

She has won eight Bundesliga titles and three UEFA Women’s Cups. She retired in 2011.

5. Homare Sawa

Homare Sawa is a Japanese football star. When Japan won the Olympic silver medal in 2012 and 2011 in the Women’s world cup title, Homare was the leading captain. She emerged as the winner in the Golden Ball and Golden Boot for the MVP. Homare was also the leading scorer in the 2011 World Cup. The greatest of all is that she was crowned as the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year in 2011.

4. Michelle Akers

Michelle Aker is a former leader of the United States national team. Her most significant achievement being a midfielder is that she scored 39 goals in just 26 international games in 1991. This made her win a Golden Boot in the Women’s World Cup.

In 1998, she received the FIFA’s medal of merit and was also named the FIFA Female Player of the century in 2002. In 2004, she was among the only two women that were named in the FIFA 100 list

3. Christine Sinclair

Christine is currently the third all-time lead scorer with 148 international goals. She has the time to surpass both Hamm and Wambach before she retires. In 2010, she guided her national team to win the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup title.

In 2012, she led her team in the Olympics to win bronze after losing to the United States in the semi-finals. She has won the Canada Soccer Player of the year award eleven times and has been nominated six times for the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

2. Marta

Marta is a Brazillian footballer who is ranked as the most talented female soccer player. She was recognized as the FIFA World Player of the year for five consecutive years since 2006. Besides that, in 2007, she helped Brazil finish as the runners up in the Women’s World Cup. She also won the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball for the top scorer and best player in the same tournament.

 

1. Mia Hamm

 

Hamm is the most celebrated and successful female soccer players in the United States. She has won many World Cups and Olympic Gold medals. She has been named twice as the FIFA World Player of the year. She was also part of the United States team that won the Women’s World Cup in 1991 and 1999 and the Olympic gold medal in 1996 and 2004. She would be a fan favorite for many punters on Betway for her goal-scoring prowess. Hamm is the second all-time leading top scorer with 158 international goals.