2. Lucy Bronze
Some, including her international manager, believe Bronze to be the best in the world and while some may dispute it, there’s no doubt she is out front as the best in her position outright. Bronze ranks inside the top five for a third year running and only narrowly misses out on top spot. After her performance in the World Cup quarter-final win against Norway which saw her smash home a stunning effort from the edge of the box, she was the name being touted for all the awards but a sub-par performance in the semi-final largely put pay to that. She did though win UEFA’s Player of the Year, was a Ballon d’Or nominee and there’s no doubt she is at the very top of her game. She once again won the league with Lyon and another Champions League in devastating fashion against Barcelona and it just feels like Bronze is a player fully comfortable with her role and is embracing how good she is.
Jess Fishlock, former Lyon player:
“I think the best things I realised playing with Lucy was you almost play a completely different game on the right side when Lucy is playing. I don’t think there’s any full-back in the world who will allow you to play the way you play with Lucy on the pitch. That says everything about her. She’s so aggressive, so dynamic going forward and she just gives you something from an attacking perspective that no other full-back can give you. People say she leaves gaps but I don’t think that’s Lucy’s fault, I think that comes down to team tactics so I don’t think that’s true. When I played with her it was the opposite, you very rarely needed to worry. She can’t be in two places at once but she’s really reliable because she’s fast, she’s strong and she rarely gets beat defensively.”
| ⇐ 3. Megan Rapinoe | 1. Sam Kerr ⇒ |
The Offside Rule 