Caroline Weir, Alex Popp and the 21 best women's players of the 2022-23 European season - ranked

A crucial part of the United team that finished second in the Women's Super League standings and reached the Women's FA Cup final, Leah Galton's contributions to the growth of her team this season were massive.

She scored in big moments, at the Etihad against Man City and in the dramatic FA Cup semi-final against Brighton, and generally shone with productive wing play that made this the best season of her career.

One of the signings of the season in Europe, Valentina Giacinti has spearheaded the attack in Roma's historic campaign that has seen them claim the Serie A title and the Suppercoppa Italiana, while reaching the Champions League quarter-finals on their debut in the competition. There's still a chance of Coppa Italia glory this weekend, too.

Her return of 13 league goals, and four in the Champions League, wasn't enough to top the charts, but it doesn't tell the full story of her all-round contributions to the team's wonderful play, a style she fits like a glove.

It's been a difficult year for Lyon with so many of their star players missing throughout due to injuries. Selma Bacha had her own spell on the sidelines at the beginning of 2023, but she's been outstanding either side of that.

No player in France's top-flight registered more assists than the versatile wide player, who also ranked second for chances created despite missing a handful of games. That creativity helped Lyon stave off the pressure of Paris Saint-Germain to win a domestic treble, softening the blow of a disappointing Champions League quarter-final exit.

Still only 22 years old, Bacha is set for a big future.

Salma Paralluelo made a huge move over the summer when she left Villarreal to join Barcelona. As part of the Yellow Submarine, she was battling relegation. With the Catalans, she'd be chasing a treble. Oh, and she made that move at just 18 years old.

Despite the increased weight of expectation, Paralluelo has delivered impressive performances in her first season and some fine goalscoring form. The Spain international started only nine league games but scored 11 goals, while her sole Champions League strike gave Barca a crucial first-leg lead in their quarter-final against Roma.

What a bright, bright future she has.

With 26 goals in 27 games in Italy this season, Tabitha Chawinga's first campaign in Europe since 2017 was an electric one. The Malawi international arrived in Italy after a spell in China and quickly helped Inter take a step forward in their journey.

What was particularly impressive is how frequently she netted against the teams at the top of the table, with no one bettering her return of seven goals in Serie A's Championship round.

There are still areas for growth within the team, but with Chawinga leading the line, there can be huge hope for Inter's future prospects and chances of competing for silverware soon.

Another relentless goalscorer whose efforts sadly didn't return her club any trophies, but that doesn't make Bunny Shaw's past season at Man City any less impressive.

With 20 goals in 22 WSL games, the immediate praise for the Jamaica international concerns her goalscoring exploits, but it's also important to highlight how important her overall play has been to the team, with her also racking up seven assists.

The signing of the year in the WSL, Rachel Daly became the highest scoring Englishwoman in a single season in the league by bagging 22 goals in 22 games. It's a total that saw her equal Vivianne Miedema's record for the most goals in a single WSL campaign - all while playing for a team not in the 'big four'.

With chances not coming as thick and fast in an Aston Villa shirt in comparison to those at other clubs, Daly had to be extremely clinical and that she has been - converting a remarkable 72 percent of her 'big chances'.

The England international also netted six goals in four Women's FA Cup games, including the extra-time winner against Man City to help Villa reach the semi-finals for the first time in their history.

If there was any debate about who is the best full-back in the women's game before this season, Ona Batlle settled it with her performances for United this past campaign. In one-v-one defending, there are few - if any - better than Batlle, who is equally excellent going forward. In fact, she finished the WSL season ranked second overall for assists.

It's no wonder she's been heavily linked with a Barcelona return, then.

One of Barcelona's many top performers this season, Fridolina Rolfo's contributions have been crucial in getting them to another Champions League final.

Operating in a very, very attacking left-back position, the Swede ranks joint-fifth for chances created in the UWCL and has hit double figures for goals and assists across that competition and the league, which Barca won with three games to spare.

Only Wolfsburg star Alex Popp scored more Frauen Bundesliga goals than Lea Schuller this past season, the Bayern Munich forward a stand-out player for her side as they beat their rivals to the league title. She is much more than just a goalscorer, though, something that head coach Alexander Straus explained well earlier this season.

"Since I came last summer, and this is all about her not about anybody else, she's become a different player," he said. "She's always scored goals in and around the box, now she's involved in much, much more. I think Lea has the potential to be one of the best in the world in her position as a No.9. She's becoming a much, much more complete player."

Was Caroline Weir the signing of the season in Europe? It's hard to argue otherwise. One of only two players in Liga F to hit double figures for goals and assists, and the most productive of the two by a sizeable distance, Weir had an incredible impact at Real Madrid to help the club comfortably secure Champions League football.

On top of those 31 direct goal involvements, the Scotland international also netted six times in Europe, knocking her former club Man City out in the first qualifying round, and was a star performer as Las Blancas reached a first major final in the Copa de la Reina.

Not bad for a first season at one of the world's biggest clubs.

At the other end of the Bayern team, Glodis Viggosdottir was an absolute rock at the back and an integral part of the Frauen-Bundesliga's best defence, which conceded just seven goals.

She came up in the big moments with defensive actions, ranking in the top four in the Champions League for blocks and clearances despite Bayern being eliminated in the last eight.

When her team have the ball, Viggosdottir is hugely important, too. In fact, no player in the German league completed more passes this past season - a chart she leads by over 500 passes.

The unsung hero of Chelsea's domestic double, Erin Cuthbert's work in midfield was integral to her team's success, with her one of few players in the game that can bring admirable grit and a sprinkling of the 'wow factor' to the middle of the park.

Cuthbert was a consistent performer and an ever-growing leader in a Blues side hit by injuries to key players, the Scotland international an embodiment of doing what it takes to win.

Frida Maanum, too, was a player who stepped up for her team when injuries hit hard, the midfielder contributing plenty on the goalscoring front for Arsenal with the likes of Miedema and Beth Mead sidelined.

She produced magical moments across the board, be it her sensational strike that secured a slender 1-0 win over Leicester late on in the WSL run-in or the rocket she smashed into the back of the net in the Gunners' Champions League quarter-final victory over Bayern.

Had Kadidiatou Diani not sadly picked up a shoulder injury during PSG's Champions League quarter-final second leg, which ended in elimination at the hands of Wolfsburg, she'd be even higher on this list. She was electric this past season.

Diani won the Golden Boot in France by some distance, despite being sidelined since late March, with her seven assists alongside those 17 goals also only bettered by two players.

She netted four goals in Europe before PSG crashed out, too, shouldering the goal-scoring burden impressively in the absence of star striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto.

A magician on the left-hand side of Chelsea's attack, Guro Reiten played a big role in the Blues remaining a huge attacking threat even without Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder for large parts of the past campaign.

Her service for Sam Kerr was exceptional and her own goal contributions were fantastic, too, most notably the strike she hit with her weaker foot in the first leg of Chelsea's quarter-final triumph over European champions Lyon.

The top scorer in the Women's Champions League, and fourth in the Frauen-Bundesliga's standings, Ewa Pajor has been the deadliest striker in the world at times this season.

She's almost certain to scoop up the UWCL's Golden Boot and will hope to pick up the tournament's big trophy, too, with her first full season after a couple of injury-hit years proving to be a truly superb one.

Lena Oberdorf was arguably the most impressive performer at Euro 2022 last summer as Germany reached the final, and that form has remained at the highest level with Wolfsburg throughout this season, helping the club win the DFB-Pokal and reach the Champions League final.

Defensive midfielders can often be overlooked, but it's hard not to notice just how much Oberdorf impacts games, with her battling presence and eye for a pass always able to stand out.

The best centre-back in the women's game, Mapi Leon has spent this season showcasing all the reasons why that is the case. She has been outstanding all year round for Barcelona.

Any player operating in the heart of defence for the Catalans has to be truly excellent on the ball - and she is. However, one shouldn't underrate her abilities when Barca are on the back foot, either, with Leon excellent in a tackle and brilliant at reading play to break down an attack.

Injuries meant that Wolfsburg were without Alex Popp for most of last season, but her excellent displays this time around have helped the club win the DFB-Pokal and reach the Champions League final. She was on the scoresheet in the cup final, won the Frauen-Bundesliga Golden Boot and could still go on to win her third European title. Not a bad year, at all.

The best player in Europe this season has been Aitana Bonmati. No one has been involved in more goals in the Champions League, with her playing a crucial role in Barcelona reaching the final, while her all-round play was so central to the Catalans' dominant league title triumph.

The Player of the Match in the UWCL final when Barca won their first title back in 2021, you wouldn't bet against her putting in another display of that calibre against Wolfsburg in Eindhoven.