GOAL50 women's category: Racheal Kundananji is Africa's first-ever winner as she beats Barcelona's Asisat Oshoala to top spot & Lauren James finishes fifth

Lindsey Horan's contributions were crucial to helping Lyon reclaim their league title last season, with three of her five goals in the competition proving to be match-winners. With those decisive moments, it's no surprise that she was named to the league's best XI at the UNFP Awards. The Women's World Cup might not have gone to plan for the U.S. women's national team but Horan also scored twice in four games there, her performances a rare positive despite a last 16 exit.

Last season was an historic one for Roma as they won a first league title, the Supercoppa Italiana and reached the last eight of the Women's Champions League on their competition debut. At the heart of it all was Manuela Giugliano, their midfield maestro. Despite playing in a deep-lying role, she was directly involved in nine goals in the league and a further five in Europe, while her all-round play was crucial to Roma's eye-catching style as well as their success.

Arriving from Milan in the summer of 2022, Valentina Giacinti turned out to be exactly what Roma needed as she netted 20 goals in all competitions to fire the club to a league title, the Supercoppa Italiana trophy and the last eight of the Women's Champions League. With six assists to her name as well, the work she did for the whole team while leading the line was crucial to Roma's success.

Named Serie A's Most Valuable Player last season, Emilie Haavi and Roma suit each other so well. The energetic Norwegian has all the traits you'd want in a dynamic wing-back and she has thrived in the team's 3-5-2 set-up, scoring nine goals and providing 10 assists in all competitions. Her work on the other side of the ball shouldn't go without mention, though, as it's also part of what has made her so integral to Roma's success.

No one scored more goals in the Women's Champions League this past season than Ewa Pajor, who finally appears to be earning plaudits that she has deserved for a very long time. Not content with just being one of the most lethal finishers on the planet, though, the Poland international should also be recognised for her creativity, with her racking up nine assists alongside 24 goals as Wolfsburg won the DFB Pokal and reached the final in Europe.

One of the best players in the Women's Super League last season, Frida Maanum was so often a match-winner for Arsenal in all competitions either with her goals, her assists or her battling and hard-working attitude in the middle of the park. A versatile and dependable footballer, Maanum's thunderous effort against Bayern Munich in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals was certainly memorable, as was her gorgeous strike towards the end of the campaign against Leicester.

Germany's Women's World Cup campaign didn't go to plan, ending in a group stage exit, but that shouldn't detract from another fine individual campaign for Lina Magull. The midfielder shone as she helped Bayern Munich win the league and reach the last eight in Europe, scoring big goals along the way in both campaigns and always showing her class to help her team be a force.

After helping Arsenal to end a four-year wait for a major trophy, Steph Catley took her strong form into a home Women's World Cup and was outstanding as Australia reached a first ever semi-final. It didn't end in the triumph she and the Matildas would have dreamed of but Catley's performances were another reminder of why she is one of the very best full-backs in the world.

Bayern Munich enjoyed an excellent 2022-23 season under new head coach Alexander Straus and Glodis Viggosdottir was arguably the club's most impressive performer as they did so. The Iceland international was an absolute rock at the back for a Bayern team that had the best defensive record in the league on their way to only a fifth title and she played a crucial role in their run to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League, too.

Erin Cuthbert came to the fore as an attacking player, either on the wing or as a creative playmaker, but a switch of roles to occupy one of a battling midfield has proved extremely fruitful for her at Chelsea. The Scotland international can still bring that flair, eye for a pass and ability to strike from long range but her gritty qualities are also utilised in a brilliant way now and all of that was on show at a remarkable level as Chelsea won the league and the Women's FA Cup last season.

Few players in world football had a bigger immediate impact at their new club last season than Caroline Weir. The Scotland international was simply sensational for Real Madrid scoring 19 times and providing 12 assists in 28 league games. Weir's form was key in helping Las Blancas reach the Copa de la Reina final and she lit up the European stage, too, with six goals in nine matches.

One of Arsenal's best players in the 2022-23 season, Caitlin Foord's trickery, eye for goal and ability to create for others were all on show as the Gunners lifted the Continental Cup and reached the last four of the Women's Champions League. The Australia international helped her country reach the same stage of their home Women's World Cup, too, and was one of the stars of the tournament as she did so.

Scorer of 22 goals in just 22 league games, Rachel Daly was exceptional last season for Aston Villa. The forward's goals were understandably the most eye-catching part of her performances but one shouldn't overlook her work off the ball and ability to create for others, either, as well as the many different ways she's able to find the back of the net. Daly's determination and desire to get stuck in is what made her a crucial part of England's run to the Women's World Cup final, too, in a wing-back role.

Arguably the best goalkeeper on the planet, Merle Frohms again showed why so many think that throughout the 2022-23 season. Keeping 17 clean sheets in all competitions for Wolfsburg, she was a big reason why the club won the DFB-Pokal and reached the Women's Champions League final. Germany's Women's World Cup didn't go to plan, with them knocked out in the group stages, but that was no reflection on Frohms' consistently excellent displays.

Though a rotating member of Real Madrid's starting XI, Teresa Abelleira played her part in Las Blancas' historic season last term as they reached the Copa de la Reina final for the first time. The levels she went to at the Women's World Cup after that were incredible, with Abelleira one of the most impressive performers across the whole tournament as she helped Spain become champions of the world.

That Barcelona broke the bank to sign Keira Walsh last summer says all you need to know about how good the England international is. The most expensive female footballer in history is one of the most technically sound players in the game and one of the best holding midfielders in the world, too. We certainly saw that as she helped Barca win the league, Super Cup and Women's Champions League, while also playing her part in the Lionesses' run to the Women's World Cup final.

No one provided more assists in the French league last season than Selma Bacha, with the 22-year-old's eye for a pass and wicked delivery of a cross helping her to tot up nine in 18 games as Lyon took their league title back from Paris Saint-Germain. Bacha racked up a couple more at the Women's World Cup, too, as she helped France to reach the quarter-final stage.

Scorer of the goal that delivered Barca's second Women's Champions League title, Fridolina Rolfo went up another level this past year. She was already showing incredible quality before then, to earn a first-ever Ballon d'Or nomination, but the way the Sweden international has developed her defensive traits as well as her impact in the final third was not only a benefit for her club but also her country, who she helped to reach the Women's World Cup semi-finals.

Undoubtedly one of the best players in the world during the 2022-23 season, Alex Popp came up big time and time again for Wolfsburg as they won the DFB-Pokal and finished runners-up in the Women's Champions League, with their star striker scoring in both finals. Having scored 24 goals for her club in all competitions, winning the Bundesliga's Golden Boot, Popp also netted four times at the Women's World Cup despite Germany crashing out after only three games.

Back in October, Sophia Smith became the youngest player ever to win the NWSL's Most Valuable Player award, something she backed up just a couple of weeks later with an MVP performance in the Championship game as the Portland Thorns won the title. She took that form into the 2023 season, racking up 10 goals and five assists in 13 appearances before jetting off to the Women's World Cup where she scored twice and set up another on her tournament debut.

Patri Guijarro is a footballer who so often does not get her flowers, something largely related to the under-appreciated role she plays at the base of Barcelona's midfield. But her team-mates know her value and the whole world saw it in a new light in the Women's Champions League final, with her scoring twice to inspire Barca's incredible comeback, scooping up a winners' medal as well as the Player of the Match prize as a result. It capped off another brilliant season for Guijarro.

In her first year in Germany, Georgia Stanway was excellent as she helped Bayern Munich win just a fifth ever league title on the women's side. Her cool penalty against rivals Wolfsburg towards the end of the campaign was crucial in helping the Bavarians get over the line and she was brilliant for England at the Women's World Cup, too, as they reached the final for the first time.

Despite missing several months through injury last season, Caroline Graham Hansen still managed to grab the headlines on so many occasions. A 20-minute hat-trick off the bench on her return to action in March was a nod to her quality, while her performances and goals in the two legs of Barcelona's Women's Champions League semi-final against Chelsea secured their place in the final. Norway may have underwhelmed at the Women's World Cup, but Graham Hansen still managed to score one of the goals of the tournament there, too.

Sadly, we didn't see Mapi Leon at the Women's World Cup, with her choosing to stand firm on calling for change within the Spanish federation and remain away from the national team. That should not diminish the season that she had, though, because the Barcelona star spent the 2022-23 campaign proving just why she's widely regarded as the best centre-back in the game while the Catalans won the Women's Champions League for a second time. Leon's positioning and timing in a tackle is excellent, but so is her technical ability and ability to deliver from set pieces. She's an all-rounder.

One of the most promising young forwards on the planet, Riko Ueki had an outstanding 2022-23 season for Tokyo Verdy Beleza. She won the Empress Cup Golden Boot as her six goals helped her club to triumph in the competition, two of those coming in the final. Ueki also scored 14 goals in 19 WE League appearances to win another Golden Boot and be named to its Best XI. With goals against Zambia and Spain, she more than played her part in Japan's outstanding Women's World Cup campaign, too.

The Women's World Cup was a disaster for the United States but Naomi Girma still emerged from the tournament with huge credit. Despite still being only 23 years old, she's widely considered as one of the best centre-backs on the planet and she proved why on the big stage with her excellent understanding of the game, reading of play and ability on the ball. It's no wonder she was named the NWSL's Defender of the Year in October.

Yui Hasegawa joined Manchester City last summer for a bumper fee but she made it more than worthwhile with some stand-out performances from the base of the midfield. Her vision, passing range and ability to dictate the tempo of a game have all stood out in what is a new role and she took that form into the Women's World Cup, too, to help Japan produce some truly excellent performances on their way to the quarter-finals.

Trinity Rodman made a flying start to 2023, scoring four goals and providing two assists in her first 13 games of the season before heading off to the Women's World Cup. Some superb performances for the United States, including a brace in the send-off friendly against Wales, also saw her nail down a starting role in the national team for the tournament, which is no mean feat at 21 years old.

One of the best players in the world for the past 12 months, Guro Reiten's wicked left foot terrorised defenders in England and Europe as she helped Chelsea lift the league title and another Women's FA Cup in 2022-23. No one racked up more assists in the Women's Super League than Reiten, who also showed her goal-scoring capabilities throughout the campaign. Her strike against Paris Saint-Germain, with her weaker foot, was a particularly memorable one.

Brazil had an incredibly disappointing Women's World Cup campaign, crashing out in the group stages, but Debinha has still been electric in the past 12 months. A nominee for the NWSL's Most Valuable Player award at the end of the 2022 season, she was also named to its Best XI for the first time after scoring 12 goals in 18 games for the North Carolina Courage. She's been on fire for the Kansas City Current since switching clubs in the off-season, too.

A devastating ACL injury ruled Delphine Cascarino out of the 2023 Women's World Cup and it was a huge blow for France to lose someone with her incredible quality. Cascarino scored some big goals to help Lyon take the league title back off rivals Paris Saint-Germain, claiming the Player of the Year accolade at the UNFP awards as a result while also being named to the Team of the Season at that ceremony and the league's official one.

Roma had a historic 2022-23 season and Andressa Alves was right at the heart of it. Ranking joint-fourth for goals in Serie A, netting 12 across the season as Roma won a first ever Scudetto on the women's side, Alves was unsurprisingly named to the league's Team of the Season. The Brazil international also scored twice in the Women's Champions League as the club reached the last eight on its competition debut.

Widely regarded as the best right-back on the planet, Ona Batlle had another big year of proving why her reputation is so high. Only Guro Reiten, a winger, provided more assists in the Women's Super League last term than the Spain star, who earned herself a move from Manchester United to Barcelona once the season ended. She took that form into the Women's World Cup, too, shining as La Roja won the title.

A left-back when she plays for her country, Crystal Dunn is one of the best midfielders in the world when she plays for her club. The 31-year-old returned from maternity leave to help the Portland Thorns win the NWSL Championship at the end of last year and started the 2023 campaign in great form, too, scoring five times and providing two assists in her first 13 games.

One of the best young players on this planet for a while, this past year saw Melchie Dumornay show there is no need to include the word 'young' in that sentence anymore. Netting 11 goals and providing five assists in 18 games for a Reims side that finished mid-table, the teenager secured her dream move to Lyon and also fired her country, Haiti, to a first ever Women's World Cup with two goals against Chile in the play-off tournament. The Caribbean nation couldn't make it out of the group stage but Dumornay certainly won a few new fans with her performances in Australia.

Alba Redondo's numbers for Levante last year were out of this world, the 27-year-old scoring 27 goals to win Liga F's Golden Boot and help her club finish in the Women's Champions League places. It was no surprise that she broke into Spain's starting XI, then, and she certainly made an impact as La Roja won the Women's World Cup for the first time, scoring three times en route to that triumph.

There was no more impressive centre-back on show at the Women's World Cup than Alex Greenwood, who appears to finally be getting her long overdue plaudits. The England star has gone to new levels since shifting inside from her left-back role a few years ago, her on-ball ability and reading of the game making her one of the stars of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand after another strong season with Manchester City.

Mary Earps' reputation as one of the best goalkeepers on the planet was only enhanced this past year. The Manchester United shot-stopper had an excellent campaign for her club, who she helped finish second in the Women's Super League to secure a Women's Champions League spot for the first time, and then she shone at the Women's World Cup, winning the Golden Glove as England reached the final.

Already one of the best holding midfielders on the planet at the age of 21, Lena Oberdorf was incredibly impressive once again last season. Her mature and commanding performances in the middle of the park were crucial to Wolfsburg's domestic cup triumph and their run to the Women's Champions League final, while her show-stopping strike against Koln in May was a serious highlight.

No player was involved in more goals in the Women's Champions League last season than Aitana Bonmati, who was simply sensational as Barcelona won the league, the Super Cup and became champions of Europe again. She carried that form into the Women's World Cup, too, shining for Spain in Australia and New Zealand and eventually winning the tournament's Golden Ball after helping La Roja become world champions.

Used as a centre-back at times last season, her versatility helping Paris Saint-Germain deal with a lack of options in the heart of defence, Grace Geyoro is one of those midfielders who can do a bit of everything. Nominated for the Player of the Season accolade at the UNFP Awards and the French league's official ceremony, and named to the best XI at both as well, Geyoro was also as solid as you'd like as her country reached the last eight of the Women's World Cup.

Sam Kerr didn't have her most prolific campaign for Chelsea in 2022-23 but she stepped up every time her team needed her to score some incredibly important goals as they won the league, as well as netting the winner in the Women's FA Cup final. Sadly, injury limited her ability to help Australia in their home Women's World Cup but she still managed to produce one of the goals of the tournament when her thunderous strike sent Stadium Australia into raptures in the semi-final defeat to England.

Despite not kicking a ball in April or May due to injury, Kadidiatou Diani ended the 2022-23 campaign as the top goal-scorer in France. That's how incredible she was last season. Moving from the wing into a No.9 role due to Marie-Antoinette Katoto's ACL injury, Diani adjusted brilliantly to help Paris Saint-Germain compete hard for the title, scoring 17 goals and providing seven assists in just 17 appearances. She carried that form into the Women's World Cup, too, scoring four goals and providing three assists despite France's quarter-final exit.

In her first season at the top, top level, Salma Paralluelo was outstanding for Barcelona. The teenager scored 15 goals in all competitions despite not being a regular starter, helping Barca win a treble that included the Women's Champions League, and she made her breakthrough with the senior national team, too. After impressing in friendlies, Paralluelo was included in La Roja's Women's World Cup squad and scored huge goals in the quarter-finals and semi-finals as they became champions of the world.

Everyone knows Bunny Shaw as an excellent goal-scorer and so they should. After all, a return of 31 from 30 games in all competitions for Manchester City last season was remarkable. But the Jamaica international has a wonderful all-round game and does so much for her team-mates, as seen in the seven assists she racked up the league for City and the important work she did off the ball to help the Reggae Girlz reach the last 16 at the Women's World Cup for the first time.

Having got on top of the niggling injuries that had plagued her in recent years, Lauren James was electric last season for Chelsea as they did a domestic double and reached the Women's Champions League semi-finals. Her ability to create something out of nothing was on show regularly for the Blues but also for England, with the forward outstanding for her country as they reached the Women's World Cup final.

One of the deadliest goal-scorers in the women's game, Tabitha Chawinga was simply unstoppable last season. The Malawi international scored 23 goals in 23 Serie A games for Inter to claim the Golden Boot - eight goals clear of anyone else - and win the Best Striker award, too. That she also chipped in with eight assists, a total only bettered by Juventus' Arianna Caruso, says a lot about the work she does for her team generally as well.

One of the break-out stars of the last 12 months, Linda Caicedo has wasted no time in becoming an influential player at Real Madrid, with her extra time strike against Villarreal crucial in helping Las Blancas reach the Copa de la Reina final for the first time. She's already an incredibly important piece at international level, too, and her performances - and goals - were massive as Colombia reached the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup for the first time.

With 27 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions, Asisat Oshoala was on fire for Barcelona last season. Despite not always starting for the Catalans, her incredibly intelligent movement in the box ensures that she almost always gets on the scoresheet for the European champions. Those goals helped Barca win the league and Women's Champions League once again, while she also came up with a big strike for Nigeria at the Women's World Cup as they impressed everyone to reach the last 16.

Only Alba Redondo scored more goals than Racheal Kundananji in Liga F last year, the Zambia international netting 25 times in 29 appearances to help Madrid CFF finish fifth. The most noteworthy of those strikes were the final two, which allowed her team to beat champions Barcelona and snap the Catalans' 64-game unbeaten run. Kundananji also got her first Women's World Cup goal this year, scoring in the 3-1 defeat over Costa Rica as the debutantes notched a first win in the competition.