MANCHESTER, England — The brightest talents in women´s soccer will be on show at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Alex Morgan is out to win a third straight World Cup with the United States and England´s Lucy Bronze is looking to become a world champion after helping the Lionesses´ win the European Championship last year.
Ada Hegerberg will carry Norway´s hopes and Alexia Putellas is back from the injury that kept her out of action for nearly 10 months and ruled her out of the Euros.
Here are 10 of the top players to watch out for at this year’s tournament according to AP:
ALEX MORGAN (UNITED STATES)
Heading into her fourth World Cup, Morgan is already a two-time winner, an Olympic gold medalist and one of the biggest stars in the history of the women’s game.
The tournament in Australia and New Zealand will be a chance to add to the forward’s legacy if she helps the US become the world champion for a record third time in succession.
No men’s or women’s team has ever won the World Cup three times in a row. Now 34, Morgan keeps making a mark on the field.
She has won 11 major tournaments with the US and was also a Champions League winner with Lyon.
ADA HEGERBERG (NORWAY)
It is a measure of Hegerberg’s rare talent that she has been described as women’s soccer’s answer to Lionel Messi. But given that she is from Norway, perhaps Erling Haaland is a more suitable comparison for the forward. After all, she is a lethal goal-scorer, just like the Manchester City striker.
Her total of 59 Champions League goals is a record for the competition. Hegerberg was the first ever female winner of the Ballon d´Or and will perform at the World Cup after ruling herself out of selection for her country for five years up to 2022 due to what she considered a disregard for women´s soccer in Norway.
DEBINHA (BRAZIL)
It takes a special player to wear Brazil’s No. 9 shirt and Debinha is worthy of that honor.
The two-time Copa America Femenina winner also represented her country at the World Cup in 2019 and at two Olympics.
A top class goal-scorer, the forward is blessed with speed and creativity and provides the cutting edge for Pia Sundhage’s team.
CHRISTINE SINCLAIR (CANADA)
No soccer player, male or female, has scored more international goals than Canadian legend Sinclair’s 190 for her country. Canada coach Bev Priestman has described Sinclair’s “incredible humility” – but there is nothing humble about an incredible career that just keeps on going.
Ready to appear in her sixth World Cup at the age of 40, Sinclair remains as determined as ever to achieve more. She resisted the temptation to hang her boots up after Canada won Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021.
SAM KERR (AUSTRALIA)
The first Australian to score a hat trick in the men’s or women’s World Cup, Kerr could be in the reckoning to win the golden boot at this year’s tournament.
She scored five in 2019 and was the leading scorer at the Asia Cup in 2022 with seven goals. The forward is Australia’s all-time leading scorer — surpassing Tim Cahill with 63 goals in total.
Kerr is used to racking up the titles with her club team Chelsea. She has won the English league title four years in a row, as well as three FA Cups and two League Cups.
WENDIE RENARD (FRANCE)
As part of Lyon’s all-conquering team, Renard has won 16 French league titles and eight Champions Leagues. Add to that 10 more French Cups and Renard is arguably France´s greatest women´s footballer.
But it looked like she would be absent from this World Cup after announcing in February that she was stepping back from the national team, saying she could “no longer support the current system.” France coach Corinne Diacre was fired in March and Renard was recalled by new coach Herve Renard.
ALEXIA PUTELLAS (SPAIN)
The two-time Ballon d’Or winner missed out on last year’s European Championship because of a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament just days before the tournament.
While she is back playing again – and lifted the Champions League with Barcelona in June – it remains to be seen how much of an impact she will be able to have at the World Cup.
ALEXANDRA POPP (GERMANY)
After the heartache of the Euros, Popp is hoping to make up for that at the World Cup.
The Germany striker became the first player to score in five consecutive games at a Women´s European Championship last year and hit six in total to fire her country to the final.
LUCY BRONZE (ENGLAND)
A serial trophy-winner, England defender Bronze finally tasted glory in a major international competition at last year’s Euros. And if the Lionesses are to follow that up with a World Cup title then Bronze is likely to be crucial.
The right back has won seven league titles in three different countries with Liverpool, Manchester City, Lyon and Barcelona.
