20 famous female soccer players with the best stats you should watch in 2022

Even though women football is not as advanced as men's, remarkable milestones have been achieved in recent years. In recent years, there have been conversations to bridge the gap in salaries between famous female soccer players and their male counterparts. Those against the discussion cite the underdevelopment in women’s football as the justification for their meagre salaries.

It is no secret that female soccer players are not as famous as male players. To date, not all top-flight clubs have soccer teams for women revealing that a lot has to be done for equality to be achieved. It is unfortunate considering that some female soccer players are as talented as their counterparts.

Famous female soccer players in 2022

Even though the Barcelona FC male team has dipped in form in the last two seasons, the female team has made a name for itself hence the reason many of their players dominate this list. The best women soccer players in 2022 include:

1. Alexia Putellas

Putellas is a Barcelona and Spain midfielder whose achievements in 2021 were unmatched. She produced unimaginable stats both for club and country in 2021, scoring many goals and being phenomenal in assists. She single-handled engineered Barcelona’s female team’s success in 2021.

2. Vivianne Miedema

The 25-year-old Vivianne Miedema is a forward who plays for Arsenal and the Netherlands. She comes second in female footballers rankings owing to her brilliance on the pitch. Undoubtedly, Vivianne is one of the best female strikers in the world. One of her outstanding achievements is being the top scorer in the Women's Super League history.

She is a scorer and the creative force driving both the Arsenal and Netherlands women teams. The striker won the Golden Boot at the Tokyo Olympics after scoring a remarkable 10 goals in just four games.

3. Sam Kerr

Who is the best English women's footballer? The Chelsea and Australian forward is a force to reckon with in women’s football. Apart from Arsenal's Vivianne Miedema, Sam Kerr is the best player in England in 2022. She won the Women's Super League, Golden Boot, earlier before Miedema.

4. Pernille Harder

Harder is a Chelsea and Denmark player who has been an important team member since her transfer from Wolfsburg. Even though it took her a while to find her best form at Chelsea, it was evident what she could achieve once she started scoring goals. Last season, she had nine league goals.

In her last ten appearances for club and country, she scored seven goals. Only the sky can be the limit for her in 2022.

5. Jenni Hermoso

Jenni is another player whose goals have propelled Barcelona to greater heights. The Spain international is a forward who nets goals for fun. Even though she ranks behind other teammates, it is worth noting that she finished last season on top of the Primera Iberdrola scoring charts.

She was the only player with more than 30 goals in that season. Apart from the mind-blowing figures, she also registered 14 assists. As the season ended, she was the joint top scorer in the Champions League. This propels her as a contender among the best pitchers of all time.

6. Lieke Martens

Lieke Martens is a Dutch winger who also plays for the Barcelona football club. She may not be the best female soccer player ever, but she has had a standout career. She played a vital role for both club and country in 2021, which is why she is among those to watch in 2022.

7. Marie-Antoinette Katoto

Marie-Antoinette is among the most famous black female soccer players in 2022. At 23 years of age, she plays for PSG and the France national team. If she keeps up with her displays, she will become the best striker in the world. Her stats and the silverware she bagged in 2021 show that she has a lot to offer this year.

She finished last season with a remarkable 21 goals finishing second in the goal charts. Her efforts helped PSG to win the league title finally. By the time she reaches the prime of her career, Katoto would have achieved quite a lot. She is already the top scorer this season, having picked from where she left last season.

8. Ashley Lawrence

2021 was a fantastic year for Ashley Lawrence, both at the club and international level. She had phenomenal stats that got her back on top of rankings, having fallen under the radar in recent seasons. She is an asset to PSG and Canada, primarily due to her versatility that makes her one of the best women soccer players.

Lawrence is a defender who can play as a left-back, centre-back or even in the midfield. She can shine in any of those positions, which is why her team depends on her so much. Her involvement has enabled her teams to win major tournaments, but the highlight of her career was the gold medal in Tokyo.

9. Sam Mewis

Even though most famous American female soccer players have retired, Sam Mewis is among those who have filled their shoes. She plays for North Carolina Courage and the USA national team. Her first highlights came to show in the first half of 2021 when she opened her account in the FA Cup final.

She finished the season in Manchester with some of the best stats. The midfielder registered five goals in Europe finished joint-second in the rankings. She also scored six goals for the USA in 2021, including one in the Tokyo Olympics. After recovering from her knee injury, Sam is likely to continue impressing in 2022.

10. Kadidiatou Diani

France forward plays her club football for PSG. Her spectacular form earned her a nomination for the Ballon d'Or. The winger continued to showcase massive talent as she had done the previous year. However, her presence for PSG was missed in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona.

One of the skills that make Diani an asset is her ability to ghost past opponents. This makes it easy for her to team up with other attackers and create opportunities for them. Having helped PSG win the domestic league in 2021, all eyes will be on her to see if, in 2022, they can defend the title.

11. Kosovare Asllani

Kosovare is lucky not to be among the famous female soccer players with ACL injuries, but she has had her share of misfortunes. She tested positive for Covid-19 in 2021, and as she was about to make her return, she suffered a ligament injury. Since the summer, the injury has kept her out, and her services have been missed ever since.

The Real Madrid Swedish forward was phenomenal in the Tokyo Olympics for her country. She helped her team to the final, where she put up a satisfactory performance against Canada. The 32-year-old has a lot to offer, and her return from injury will be anticipated in 2022.

12. Ellen White

The 32-year-old forward plays for Manchester City and England. She surpassed Kelly Smith's all-time scoring record for England, showing that she can be the best soccer player in the world. She also had a good year with Manchester City and is still part of their plans for the future.

White scored six goals for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics, including a hat-trick against Australia. She led her team to the quarter-finals, where they could not proceed. However, that did not dampen her morale because she continued to score goals to the end of the year.

13. Lina Magull

Lina Magull is one of the best female soccer players in Germany. She plays for the Germany national team and Bayern Munich at the club level. She is among the most underrated players because her contributions are critical to her teams. She is 27 years old, which means she has about five more years to play at the top level of the game.

14. Debinha

Hailing from a country known for producing spectacular soccer talent, there is no way Debinha would miss this list. The Brazilian plays her club football for North Carolina Courage. She is one of the most brilliant forwards in the world.

Debinha is lethal when she has the ball at her feet. She can easily manipulate defenders with quick footwork, but the icing on the cake is her eye for goal. In the past year, she has hit double figures for Brazil. Without her, North Carolina Courage would have had a far worse season than they had.

15. Kadeisha Buchanan

She is a defender for Lyon and the Canadian national team. She was on the sidelines, but an injury to Griedge Mbock gave her the chance to show what she was capable of. Even though it was not Lyon's greatest year, Kadeisha achieved personal success and will be looking to have a better year in 2022.

16. Patri Guijarro

Barcelona continues to be a powerhouse thanks to the input of players like Patri Guijarro. The young midfielder is also a valued member of the Spain national team. She is in a Barcelona team full of talent, which is critical to her development. She is among those to look out for in 2022.

17. Rose Lavelle

The USA women soccer team is filled with stars, and Rose is one of them. Her potential attracted Manchester City, who signed her, but she could never settle in England. So she returned to the USA and joined OL Reign, where she regained her form. Laura Harvey has made it clear Rose is one of the players with a bright future at OL Reign.

She has not missed a single minute of game time after the Tokyo Olympics. Being able to score six goals from midfield in 2021 meant she is among the best in the middle of the park. She mesmerizes with the ball at her feet, and 2022 will be her year to shine.

18. Asisat Oshoala

The Nigerian means quite a lot for her national team as she is a role model for the younger players. Moreover, her experience playing for the Barcelona women's team has been eye-opening for other African footballers. Even though she was not the top scorer for Barcelona, her goal-scoring record for last year is worthy of praise.

She finished last season with 18 goals in 26 games, which is a good return. She was critical in big games like the Champions League fixtures against Manchester City, in which she scored in both fixtures. She will have a good year if she continues with the fine form.

19. Hanna Glas

The Bayern Munich and Sweden defender has had a distinguished career, and those who know her can tell that the best is yet to come. She is among the most valued full-backs in the world. This is because of her consistency in defence and her ability to get forward and help in the attack.

Her talent was on display at the Tokyo Olympics, especially in dominating the USA. She may not be on the scoresheet often, but she assists and keeping clean sheets is what matters to her. She has been the force that helped Bayern Munich win back the Bundesliga title.

20. Saki Kumagai

That Saki Kumagai attracts big clubs in need of her services shows she is a rare talent. The 31-year old midfielder moved from Lyon to join Bayern Munich, who became champions. Even though her retirement is on the horizon, the Japanese international has a lot to offer.

The famous female soccer players can easily fit in any male team because they can do so. The good thing is that these players have begun demanding fairness and equality in the sport. Such advocacy campaigns have lifted the role of women in sports. We hope to see more women players improving their stats in 2022 and raise the level of the game.

Yen.com.gh shared an interesting article about the list of professional Ghanaian football players in Spain. There are very many famous soccer players from Ghana all over the world, and they have all made names for themselves playing in the big leagues. Their home country is immensely proud of them.

Source: YEN.com.gh