40. Kadeisha Buchanan
Few young players around the world could claim to have had a year quite like Kadeisha Buchanan’s. After graduating from West Virginia last year, Buchanan got a dream move to one of the best team’s in the world for 2017 – Lyon.
Within months of her arrival in France, Buchanan had won the treble, including playing in the Champions League final against PSG in Cardiff.
It’s been a remarkable rise for a centre back getting better and better with every passing month. To top her year off, Buchanan was last week voted as Canada’s Player of the Year for the second time already in her career, and remains the only other player bar Christine Sinclair to broken the forward’s monopoly on the award since 2003.
John Herdman, Canada national team head coach says:
“Kadeisha’s just been announced as Canada’s player of the year, the only other player to win this but Christine Sinclair in over 10 years”.
“It’s been a watershed year for her as the first Canadian player to win the Champions League. She won the treble and she’s been voted our player of the year, she’s showing she’s becoming the Sinclair of centre-backs.
“She was 16 when I gave her the first cap and once she got that cap she never looked back. We had four centre-backs fighting for one spot at the time and she pretty much took it. She’s always been in my starting eleven since, I think for her now it’s been about utilising her ability and that uncompromising defensive attitude.”
Sandra Prusina, Canadian women’s football writer says:
“After wrapping up a prolific college career with West Virginia which saw her capture the MAC Hermann Trophy as a senior, she took her talents to Lyon in France. The tough as nails 22-year-old centre-back played a crucial role on the back line in her side’s run to the UEFA Champions League final. They also won the Division 1 Feminine season, finishing at the top of the table with 63 points – allowing only six goals against them in 22 matches.”
| ⇐ 41. Lindsey Horan | 39. Nilla Fischer ⇒ |
The Offside Rule 