Top 100 Female Footballers of 2022: 50-41
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 2022 was 1st November 2021 – 31st October 2022
50
Hermoso’s year can be split into two. Her form was close to perfect towards the back end of last season for Barcelona, where she ended another trophy-laden season with 16 goals but unfortunately injury ruled Hermoso out of Euro 2022. She made a somewhat surprising move to Mexico with Pachuca where she will be looking to return to top form during the second part of the season as she continues her new adventure.
49
After an excellent 2021 which led to her topping the scoring charts for Häcken in Sweden, Blackstenius was in demand in January and it was Arsenal who were fortunate enough to sign her. The Swedish forward wasted no time in getting going and has already reached double figures in England for her new club, with six goals in the second half of last season and four more in the first half of this. In Europe, she’s been a creative force, with three assists so far during the club’s Champions League campaign. The goals have dried up of late but across club and country it’s been another good year.
48
Earps had to earn the chance to finally become England’s No 1, but it’s an opportunity she’s taken with both hands. With Ellie Roebuck absent for a chunk of the buildup to Euro 2022, Earps became the undisputed pick for England and repaid Sarina Wiegman with a string of impressive performances and clean sheets on their way to Euro 2022 success. Earps made vital saves in all three of England’s knockout games, and was commanding in the biggest game of her career in the final against Germany. That form has trickled into her club game where she is impressing for Manchester United and deservedly earns a spot in the top 100 for the first time, going straight into the top 50.
47
After winning the NWSL title in 2021, Washington Spirit embarked on a difficult season in 2022, but youngster Rodman was a leading light as the team struggled for victories. With pace to burn and so much ability down the wings, she is terrying for opposition full-backs, as she showed against England in October’s friendly at Wembley. The 20-year-old still has so much to come but is already making herself a key player for the USA before the World Cup. Rodman is one of the biggest movers in this year’s list and earned herself a Ballon d’Or nomination too.
46
Buchanan took on a new challenge in 2022 after helping Lyon to regain their Champions League title. The commanding defender moved to Chelsea. It was a huge coup for Emma Hayes and although the transition hasn’t been seamless, Buchanan is showing signs of the player we know she is. She started the year in her best form and her performances at the Arnold Clark Cup for Canada were nothing short of superb. Buchanan’s presence has been like a brick wall for the Olympic champions. When she settles into English life she will surely provide an extra level to the Chelsea defence moving forward.
45
Karchaoui is among the big movers here in 2022, with her impressive performances catching judges’ eyes. Her peak came for France at Euro 2022 where she was exceptional at left-back, providing two assists and ending with a deserved place in the team of the tournament. Karchaoui epitomises the modern full-back, with her ability to defend not compromised by her willingness to attack and create chances, at both PSG and France. With stiff competition in the position at both, Karchaoui’s performances are keeping her in the starting lineups and she continues to grow into a top defender.
44
Henry drops slightly after a year where the midfielder was not as prolific. However, she showed glimpses of why she remains a top player in the eyes of our judges, particularly in the biggest game of all when she scored a stunning opener for Lyon against Barcelona in the Champions League final. Henry’s performances in Lyon’s winning run earned her a spot in Uefa’s squad of the season. She was disappointed to be left out of the France squad for the European Championship, and she’s just returned from a slight knock for Lyon to try and help them retain their league and European titles.
43
Eriksson continues to perform with the consistency which continues to see her be one of the highest-ranked defenders in the top 100. The Swede is now a real leader and helped Chelsea to another superb domestic year, whether being asked to play at the heart of defence or as a full-back. She is also so good on the ball and able to influence attacks, playing out from centre-back and getting forward as a left-back, particularly for her country. Eriksson continues to take on extra responsibility for growing the sport both on and off the pitch too.
42
Martens drops outside the top 10 this year after a frustrating European Championship which was eventually ended by injury as the Netherlands struggled. It was a shame because she came into the tournament off a superb year for Barcelona, where she scored 17 goals and created 12 more and was one of the top players in Liga F, before confirming a move to PSG after the Euros. She’s off the mark for her new club but it has taken Martens time to get up to speed after injury.
41
The 25-year-old is fast approaching her peak years and with it she is also finding her top goalscoring form. Schüller is one of the top scorers in the Bundesliga this season with six for Bayern Munich, following up last season’s golden boot-winning campaign, when she racked up 16. Alexandra Popp’s form at Euro 2022 meant opportunities on the biggest stage were limited, but Schüller is likely to progress to being Germany’s out-and-out No 9 for years to come, and rightfully so. She certainly showed moments of her talent when given the opportunity during the summer.
The Offside Rule 