10 Greatest Womens’ Players in Football History [Ranked]

Women’s football has grown in popularity over the last few years, and continues to flourish, with more and more access to the beautiful game at grassroots level all over the globe. But the game as we know it would not be where it is today without those footballers who pioneered the game in its earlier years.

From prolific goalscorers who have scored more goals at international level than anybody has done in the men’s game, to players who overcame extreme adversity going on in their home country, and led their nation to international success, to those who even switched up their position on the pitch following a medical diagnosis, women’s football has seen it all.

Taking everything into consideration, and leaving no stone unturned, GIVEMESPORT has compiled a list of some of the women’s footballers who have achieved GOAT status in their careers, and has gone on to rank them in order based on the following criteria:

Ranking factors

• Major trophies won
• Statistical data – appearances, goals, assists, etc.
• Longevity at the international level
• Legacy left on the women’s game

10Alex Morgan

International caps – 224

She was part of the squads who won two successive Women’s World Cups in 2015 and 2019, the latter of which she scored in the semi-final to knock England out, and celebrated with the now-infamous tea-sipping gesture. She also won Olympic gold at the 2012 London Games.

At club level, she spent most of her career in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States, where she won a league title with the Portland Thorns in 2013. But, she also spent some time with Lyon, where she won the treble and her only Women’s Champions League, whilst she also had a brief loan spell in England with Tottenham Hotspur in the Women’s Super League in 2020.

The two-time U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year hung up her boots for the final time in September 2024, having last played for the San Diego Wave, and captained the side on her final appearance, finishing her career having amassed over 200 goals and 88 assists in 337 appearances for club and country.

9Hope Solo

International caps – 202

Hope Solo’s career wasn’t without controversy, but her talent between the sticks was undeniable. Having earned 202 caps for the USWNT, she remains today, still the only women’s goalkeeper to have surpassed 200 caps for her country.

When Solo was on the pitch, she was a brick wall, and was key to the US’s World Cup glory in 2015, in which she won the Golden Glove award – her second overall – with the first coming in the 2011 World Cup. She also won two Olympic gold medals.

To put her career into perspective with numbers, she kept 102 clean sheets, and allowed just 117 goals in her net. With Solo in goal, the USWNT won an astronomical 153 games, whilst she was on the losing side just 11 times. As a result, she will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest goalkeepers that women’s football has ever seen.

8Christine Sinclair

International caps – 331

Christine Sinclair has only just hung up her boots, having done so following the conclusion of the 2024 NWSL season at the age of 41. The Canadian striker made her international debut at the age of 16, and earned a whopping 331 caps for her country, scoring 190 goals in the process.

This sees her atop the list of the all-time leading international goalscorers in football, male or female, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s 135 international goals for Portugal falling far shy of Sinclair’s total output. She also had 55 assists for Canada, and helped them storm to Olympic gold medal success at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Sinclair spent her entire club career playing in North America, most recently for the Portland Thorns, where she bowed out as their all-time leading goalscorer with 75 goals in 220 appearances. At the time of her retirement, she was third on the NWSL’s regular season all-time scoring list, behind Lynn Williams and now-Chelsea Women’s forward, Sam Kerr.

7Homare Sawa

International caps – 205

Homare Sawa is a Japanese footballing legend, and her talent and impact on football could perhaps be summed up in just one year – 2011.

Just months after the Great East Japan Earthquake struck – one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded – Sawa virtually single-handedly led Japan to World Cup glory in what was their first ever major international tournament final. Sawa scored five goals, including the match-tying strike in extra time of final to send the game to penalties, which saw her become the recipient of the Golden Boot. She also won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.

6Abby Wambach

International caps – 255

Abby Wambach used to be the all-time leading goalscorer on the international stage, before Sinclair eclipsed her by six goals. Nonetheless, she recorded 184 goals for the United States in 255 appearances, having made her debut in 2001. She would score in her final outing for her country in 2015.

During her international career, she participated in four Women’s World Cups, though she would only win on her final attempt in 2015, whilst she is a two-time Olympic gold medal winner, having done so at the 2004 Athens Games and London in 2012.

Known for her physical presence and aerial ability due to her 5-foot-11 stature, Wambach was named the USSF Women’s Athlete of the Year six times, and earned the honour of being the FIFA World Women’s Player of the Year in 2012, and goes down in history as a true goalscoring great.

5Sun Wen

International caps – 163

Sun Wen is considered China’s – and Asia’s – greatest ever women’s footballer, having picked up FIFA’s Player of the Century award in 1999, an award she shared with the USWNT’s Michelle Akers.

With a career spanning from 1989 through to 2006, Sun made her debut for China’s national team at the age of 17, and went on to appear in four Women’s World Cups. It was the 1999 World Cup in the USA where she truly announced herself to the world, becoming the recipient of the Golden Boot after scoring seven goals, and the Golden Ball, though China would lose on penalties to the host nation. Nonetheless, she is widely considered one of the World Cup’s greatest ever players.

With her passing range, skill, and shooting prowess, Sun was seen as the complete forward, and she helped China to claim Asian Cup victory on four occasions between 1991 and 1997, and even came out of retirement to help them win it again in 2006. She finished her career having picked up 163 caps, in which she scored 106 goals.

4Birgit Prinz

International caps – 214

Birgit Prinz is considered the greatest German women’s footballer of all time due to having earned more caps (214) and scored more goals (128) than any other player in the country.

Prinz spent most of her career playing in Germany, suiting up for both FSV Frankfurt, and 1. FFC Frankfurt – now known as Eintracht Frankfurt – in which she made a combined 247 appearances, winning a total of nine Frauen-Bundesliga titles and 10 German Cups.

She would also have a brief stint with Women’s United Soccer Association’s (WUSA) Carolina Courage in what was the US’s first ever professional women’s league in 2002-03, where she made 35 appearances and scored 23 goals, and won the WUSA title. Thus, she made a total of 282 club appearances in which she scored 281 goals – a hugely impressive return.

Furthermore, she led Germany to World Cup success twice, in 2003 and 2007, respectively, whilst she was the recipient of the World Player of the Year award three times.

3Michelle Akers

International caps – 155

Michelle Akers is the only player on this list who excelled at two positions on the pitch, where she started out as a striker in the early days of her career, but moved back into a defensive midfield role following a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 1994.

Nonetheless, Akers finished her career having posted 105 goals in 156 outings for the USWNT, of which 39 of them came in one calendar year in 1991. Furthermore, she still holds the record for most goals scored in single World Cup campaign, after she scored 10 goals en route to achieving World Cup glory.

Whilst she never regained her prolific form after her diagnosis, she was still an impact player for her country and dictated games in the midfield. She went on to win a second World Cup title in 1999, and shared the FIFA Player of the Century award with Sun Wen before retiring in 2000.

2Mia Hamm

International caps – 276

Mia Hamm is widely considered the out-and-out greatest player in USWNT history, and was someone who not only scored goals and created for her teammates, but was also a leader both on and off the pitch.

Ranked fourth on the all-time appearances list for the United States with 276 caps, Hamm made her debut at the age of 15. At college level, she led the University of North Carolina to four National Championships in five years, seeing her name up in the conversation alongside NBA legend Michael Jordan as one of the greatest UNC athletes ever.

When she retired in 2004, she was the world-record holder for international goals scored with 158, though she now sits at third all-time. Her high footballing IQ allowed her to play the game like a midfielder, but in an advanced forward position, knowing exactly when to drive at goal, and when to shift outside and deliver a cross for her teammates.

It would take her three attempts to get her hands on the coveted World Cup winners medal, doing so in 1999, with her converting her penalty which helped the US beat China. But her relentless work ethic and attitude toward the game, which saw her tally 147 assists at international level and become the first player in U.S. soccer history with over 300 goal involvements, is why she is considered – even two decades after retiring – one of the USWNT’s biggest icons.

1Marta

International caps – 204

Marta is arguably the GOAT of all GOATs of women’s football. The Brazilian forward is one of the most naturally gifted players the sport has ever seen, bringing a street-style flair to her game that has become synonymous with some of Brazil’s footballing greats. She was even likened to the great Brazilian legend Pele, which was a huge testament to just how good she was in her prime.

Making her international debut in 2002 at the age of 16, Marta became the first player to score at five consecutive Olympic Games – winning two silver medals – whilst she also holds the record for most goals ever scored in World Cups – men and women – with 17 strikes to her name. After an illustrious international career spanning 22 years, Marta called time on playing for Brazil in 2024, retiring as the Seleção’s all-time leading goalscorer with 119 goals.

At 38-years-old, Marta is still plying her trade with the Orlando Pride in the NWSL, where she helped them clinch both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship in the 2024 season. Many thought the six-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award winner could have been leaning towards retirement following that season, but after signing a fresh two-year contract ahead of the 2025 season, she looks set to play until she hits at least 40-years-old, if not longer.

Her longevity, combined with her incredible repertoire of skills and flashy brilliance, makes her stand out above the rest. There hasn’t ever been anybody like Marta, and there may never be a player as special as her ever again. She is simply a generational talent.