Top 100 Female Footballers of 2021: 30-21
Results: 100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51, 50-41, 40-31, 30-21, 20-11, 10-1
The voting period for the Top 100 Female Footballers of 2021 was October 2020 – October 2021.
Despite three goals in the space of a couple of months at the back end of last year, Lavelle’s time at Manchester City did not go as planned, but she has returned to the USA with OL Reign in good form and become an important part of an already stellar squad under Laura Harvey. She has barely missed a minute since returning after the Olympics and remained a key part of the USA side too, scoring six goals from midfield in 2021. Often mesmerising with the ball at her feet, Lavelle is one of the easiest on the eye players to watch anywhere in the world and there are few who get around the pitch like her.
As the years go by, Guijarro will be a name to watch when it comes to end of season awards as the 23-year-old just misses out on a spot in the top 20. She didn’t always start in Barcelona’s treble-winning campaign but she is a major talent – composed on the ball and an important part of why the team works; the same goes for her role in the national team. Able to pop up with a goal from time to time too, Guijarro continues to grow as a player and is earning increasing recognition for her performances.
Griedge Mbock’s injury allowed Buchanan a prolonged chance to show her talent alongside Wendie Renard despite the year not going how Lyon would have wanted, but it was at international level where Buchanan’s biggest success came, as she played a key role in helping Canada to Olympic gold. While solid at the back, Buchanan likes to break out from defence and link with her midfield and attack and is more than comfortable going for goal, as a recent stunning volley against Guingamp in France showed. Now rated as one of the best defenders around.
The brilliant Brazilian remains one of the best around with the ball at her feet, able to manipulate defenders with footwork and an eye for goal. Debinha hit double figures for Brazil over the past 12 months, with goals in the SheBelieves Cup and at the Tokyo Olympics. At club level she started the year in fine form, ending the NWSL Challenge Cup as the top scorer and scored another three in the regular season despite North Carolina Courage having a below-par season by their usual standards. She remains one of the best in her position anywhere in the world.
The Germany playmaker often goes unnoticed at awards season but she places higher than ever before this year. One of the most creative players in Europe, Magull is at the source of many attacks for both her country and Bayern Munich, her five goals and six assists one of the key reasons Jens Scheuer’s side were finally able to end Wolfsburg’s dominance in Germany. A fine year from a fine player who continues to improve.
White surpassed Kelly Smith’s all-time scoring record for England in a positive year in front of goal for club and country. White’s position in the rankings this year though will owe much to the six goals she scored for Team GB in Tokyo, where a hat-trick against Australia would have almost single-handedly dragged her side into the semi-finals had it not been for a late collapse. Has been in the goals consistently all year.
Asllani’s performances, particularly in Tokyo for Sweden, deserved a gold medal that never came and she was at her best in the final against Canada. She had offered a warning sign of what to expect with a dominant performance against the world champions, USA, and showed that she is still at the top of her game, while playing a valuable role for Real Madrid too. Sadly, a positive Covid-19 test and subsequent ligament injury have meant we haven’t seen too much of the Swede since the summer.
Named on the Ballon d’Or shortlist, the winger enjoyed another strong year and continued to cause chaos for opponents. Her presence for PSG was sorely missed in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona. With her ability to ghost past players, Diani has become one of the most frightening wingers to play against in the world and her role in the PSG attack helped them finally get their hands on a domestic league title in 2021.
Ji may be getting older and not influencing games in terms of goals herself anymore, but she remains one of the very best at dictating games and has continued to play a key role in Chelsea’s success. While Kirby and Kerr take most of the plaudits for their connection, it’s uncanny how many of their goals are started by Ji’s ability to dictate in midfield. Still capable of a killer assist, as she showed recently against Aston Villa, the Fifa Best nominee is still at the top of her game.
Paños shoots up the rankings this year and deservedly so. While the Barcelona centre-back pairing is well-known and the team’s attack has dominated Europe this year, Paños has played a more than valuable role between the posts and has established herself as Spain’s No 1. Last season, Paños conceded only 17 goals in 32 matches and did not concede in the league until December 2020, a remarkable feat. She made a big penalty save against Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals and went on to keep a clean sheet in the final.
The Offside Rule 