Top 10 Best Female Soccer Players of All Time – Ranked

Until the seventies, Women’s soccer was banned in Europe. Despite that big obstacle, the sport has grown leaps and bounds, growing exponentially in popularity and quality, attracting millions of fans to the stadiums and glueing them to their televisions. During this process, some of the female soccer players have captured the attention of the viewers, mesmerising them with their tricks and skills and providing some of the most memorable moments.

This article explores some of the best female soccer players in the world of all time, looking back at their careers and celebrating their achievements.

Ranking Factors

Performances – Their performances for their club and country during their career.

Longevity – How long they have played at the top level.

Impact and importance to the squad – How important their role was to their clubs and country and how much positive impact they’ve had.

Top 10 Best Female Soccer Players of All Time

10. Vivianne Miedema

The Dutch goalscoring prodigy has been making a lot of noise ever since her youth days. She is a fantastic striker with precise finishing and menacing forward play. It is of no surprise that she is the all-time leading scorer in the English Women’s Super League. Her contribution to the senior national team has been tremendous.

Her international career is stellar, playing a significant role in the victory of UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 and the Dutch’s journey to the final of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Miedema has established herself as a legend in Dutch football history by surpassing the all-time goal-scoring record for the national team, both for men and women.

Also Read: Top 10 Best American Soccer Players Of All Time- Ranked

9. Pernille Harder

A fantastic goal scorer and equally good playmaker, Harder has been one of the icons of modern women’s soccer. She was the world’s most expensive female soccer player at that time, following her transfer from Wolfsburg to Chelsea.  Harder has won a league title every season since 2013 with four different clubs in four different countries. Apart from her incredible club soccer career, she played a pivotal role in UEFA Women’s Euro 2017, leading her country to the final and also took her team to the knockouts of 2023 Women’s FIFA World Cup.

She has also married her teammate Magda Eriksson, with whom she shared moments on the pitch at both club and country level.

8. Ada Hegerberg

The first-ever Women’s Ballon d’Or winner in 2018, Hegerberg is an inspiration to many. A sensational forward, who was one of the biggest reasons for Lyon’s women team dominating the sport, Hegerberg won the Women’s Champions League a record six times and the league title a record nine times. Her international career statistics took a dent as she made herself unavailable for five years after a dispute with the soccer federation of Norway.

7. Megan Rapinoe

One of the most recognised names in world soccer, Rapinoe spent the majority of her club career in the USA. She is known for her crafty style of play and has been part of the American footballing dynasty, captaining her side, winning the Olympic Gold in 2012, two World Cup medals and a Ballon d’or in 2019.

She is also known for her activism off the pitch, an advocate for numerous LGBTQIA+ organizations and speaking out against gender inequality in sports.

6. Kim Little

A Scottish international, Little started her career in Scotland and spent the majority of her time at Arsenal, even captaining the side. Regarded as one of the best midfielders in the history of WSL, her experience and leadership have been vital to the club’s success. She has represented both Great Britain and Scotland at the national level, representing the former at the Olympics. She has retired from her international career but is still continuing at the club level.

5. Alexandra Popp

A menacing striker, Popp is one of the most lethal forwards in the history of the sport. She has been at Wolfsburg since 2012, scoring some iconic goals and winning a whopping 19 trophies (2 Champions League, 7 Frauen Bundesliga, 10 DFB Pokal Frauen) in her tenure so far. She has also seen tremendous success at the national team, winning Olympic Gold in 2016 and a Bronze in 2024.

4. Mia Hamm

Revered for her all-around skill, competitive spirit, and knack for goal scoring, Hamm is regarded as a legend in Women’s soccer. Playing forward, she starred on the U.S. national team that won World Cup championships in 1991 and 1999, Olympic gold medals in 1996, 2004 and an Olympic Silver in 2000. She retired from the national team in 2004 with 158 goals in international competition, the most by any player, male or female at that time.

3. Alexia Putellas

There is nothing that Putellas has literally not achieved, and it happened in 2022, when she completed the sport, winning every possible major trophy, both club and individual. The captain for her club and Spanish National team, Putellas is regarded as one of the best female soccer player in the world. With Barcelona, she has won eight league titles, eight Copas de la Reina and three UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies and a UEFA Nations League trophy with Spain. She was also the recipient of the Ballon d’or award in 2021 and 2022. She became the first player to make over 100 appearances for the Spain women’s team, a record she achieved in 2022.

2. Aitana Bonmati

Bonmati is another player, who like Putellas, has won all major club and individual awards available to a European player by 2023. Her trophy cabinet is glittering with five league titles, six Copas de la Reina, four Supercopas, four Copas Catalunyas and three UEFA Women’s Champions League titles, including three trebles and a continental quadruple. She then had a starring role in the 2023 World Cup, where Spain won the title. She has also won the Ballon d’or twice, the joint highest with Putellas, winning it the last two years.

Also Read: Top 10 Best American Soccer Players Currently- Ranked

1. Marta

Marta is regarded by many as the greatest female footballer of all time. A testament to that is her individual awards, becoming the FIFA World Player of the Year six times, five of them being consecutive (from 2006 through 2010) and the latest award coming in 2018. She was the first footballer of any gender to score at five different World Cups and also the first footballer, female or male, to score at five consecutive Olympic Games. She is currently FIFA Women’s World Cup all-time record goalscorer with 17 goals.