European Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas, Khadija Shaw and GOAL's top 30 footballers of the 2025-26 season - ranked

What a season it has been for European women's football. The Champions League campaign was certainly a memorable one, with some thrilling ties throughout the knockout stages and an enthralling introduction to the league phase format, with stars aplenty shining on the biggest stage before Barcelona beat Lyon in the final.

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  30Clara Mateo (Paris FC)

  Paris FC's consistency in recent seasons has been so impressive, with the less-fancied Parisian side reaching the final of the Championship play-offs this year after winning the Coupe de France last term. Clara Mateo has been central to it all, with her enjoying another wonderful campaign this time around.

  It was Mateo's clever flick that put Hawa Sangare through to score the goal to send the team to that Championship final, beating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0, that one of her 12 direct goal involvements in league competition this term.

  Mateo's contributions on the pitch and all-round leadership shouldn't be overlooked as they are a big reason why PFC are starting to leapfrog PSG to become Lyon's main threat in France.

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  29Felicia Schroder (Hacken)

  Sweden's Damallsvenskan doesn't follow the same structure as most of Europe's top leagues, generally running from March to November rather than September to May, but it's impossible not to include Felicia Schroder in this list, even if her 2026 domestic season has only just begun.

  As Hacken won the inaugural UEFA Women's Europa Cup, a competition that did run from autumn to spring, it was Schroder who finished as top scorer, netting eight goals in total, including all four for her team in the two-legged final, as they beat domestic rivals Hammarby 4-2.

  From August onwards, the 19-year-old also produced 14 goals and four assists in Hacken's final 14 games of the league campaign, to help deliver the title and win the Golden Boot. It's no wonder that Chelsea have reportedly lodged a world-record bid for Schroder, having missed out on signing Khadija Shaw.

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  28Selina Cerci (Hoffenheim)

  Selina Cerci may not be a household name in the women's game, but she is one of the most highly sought after players in the upcoming transfer window after another excellent season for Hoffenheim. After netting 16 Bundesliga goals for the club last year, she repeated the trick in 2025-26 to help move Die Kraichgauer up to fourth in the table, while also tripling her assist tally from three to nine. It means she was directly involved in 25 of her team's 48 league goals - more than half.

  No player in the division was more productive or more influential, with it no surprise that Cerci is being heavily-linked with a move to Arsenal, the European champions of a year ago, as a result.

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  27Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal)

  After hitting some incredible heights last year, to the point that she placed second in the race for the Ballon d'Or, Mariona Caldentey hasn't quite reached those same levels this time around, for various reasons. One of the main ones is because of her change of role, dropping into a deeper midfield position that has prevented her from racking up the same headline numbers that helped her mount that charge for the Golden Ball.

  But Caldentey has had anything but a poor year. She might not have a lot of goals and assists to her name, but she has been excellent in Arsenal's midfield as the player that makes this team tick. One only has to watch the Gunners when the Spain international doesn't play, or see the impact she has made when introduced as a sub, to understand the difference.

  Only one player in the Women's Super League completed more key passes this term than Caldentey, who played more accurate passes in the final third than anyone else by some distance. She was right up there in the latter category in the Champions League, too, surpassed by only Alexia Putellas and Mapi Leon. It's an indication of how important Caldentey remained, even if it wasn't as obvious.

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  26Merveille Kanjinga (Paris Saint-Germain)

  Only Romee Leuchter was directly involved in more goals in the Premiere Ligue this season than Merveille Kanjinga, who has enjoyed a real breakthrough season. In her first full campaign in Paris, after arriving from Congolese club TP Mazembe in January of last year, the forward has adjusted to the higher level impressively well, racking up 15 goals and eight assists in all competitions.

  A threat as a creator and a scorer, Kanjinga's impact in the French capital has been a real bright spot in what has been a difficult campaign for PSG, who were eliminated in the Champions League league phase, didn't make the Championship play-off final and lost two domestic cup finals to Lyon.

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  25Tabitha Chawinga (Lyon)

  Tabitha Chawinga's impact this season, despite her game time being limited for various reasons, has been remarkable. The Malawi international racked up just 846 minutes of league action and yet was only out-scored by one player in France, with her 13 goals and five assists making for an average of one direct goal contribution every 47 minutes.

  Unfortunately, struggles with fitness came at a terrible time, preventing Chawinga from being involved in the both legs of the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal and limiting her to a substitute role in the final.

  But the forward played her part in OL getting there, with a stand-out impact against Wolfsburg in the last eight coming after a solid league phase, and the club would not have won another domestic treble were it not for the excellent performances she produced when she was able to, with her brace in the Championship play-off final, to win the league, a great way to end the year.

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  24Camilla Kuver (Wolfsburg)

  Before signing a new deal in March, Camilla Kuver was one of the main names being linked with a move to Barcelona this summer, such was the level of performance she was producing week-in, week-out for Wolfsburg.

  After overcoming some really difficult times with injury and emerged as a top talent at Frankfurt while still a teenager, Kuver has showed impressive reliability and physicality this time around to show that those woes are well and truly behind her.

  The 22-year-old's display in the Champions League quarter-final first leg, a 1-0 win over Lyon, was a highlight, with Kuver playing a key role as Wolfsburg stifled the eventual finalists and gave themselves a real shot at making the last four, with games against Juventus, Real Madrid and PSG in that same competition other stand-outs.

  It's been a real delight to see Kuver playing at such a level, given all she has had to endure. "I think that's what makes this time right now even more special," she told GOAL in a recent interview.

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  23Momoko Tanikawa (Bayern Munich)

  When Bayern Munich travelled to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, head coach Jose Barcala had a big decision to make. Momoko Tanikawa was back available for selection, having been away at the Asian Cup with champions Japan, which was huge. But he didn't want to over-use her after such a demanding month, given how important to the team she has become. In the end, Barcala settled on giving Tanikawa 30 minutes from the bench and, in his words, "she made the difference".

  Assisting Bayern's second goal before scoring the third in a 3-2 win, Tanikawa showed why she has become such a key player for the German champions, despite still being just 21 years old.

  "She's so independent," Barcala said. "She's capable of being unpredictable. She receives the ball under pressure and plays in the pockets, and then when she gets close to the final third, she's so clinical."

  Those traits have been on show all season long, with 13 goals in all competitions - including a strike in the DFB-Pokal final - helping Bayern to win a domestic treble and enjoy their best Champions League campaign for five years.

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  22Vicky Lopez (Barcelona)

  So many young players stepped up at Barcelona this season, as the club dealt with financial restraints that placed greater emphasis than ever before on La Masia. From Clara Serrajordi to Sydney Schertenleib, the future of this team is in great hands, with the performances of Vicky Lopez particularly impressive.

  The 19-year-old has been known as a phenomenal prospect for many years and she has really shown why this season, afforded more opportunities because of a lack of transfer business and injuries to the likes of Patri Guijarro and Aitana Bonmati. Only two players in Liga F registered more direct goal contributions than Lopez, who racked up nine goals and nine assists in just 17 starts, while her performance in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid was a real stand-out.

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  21Jade Rose (Manchester City)

  Jade Rose was not unfamiliar with senior football when she arrived at Manchester City in the summer, having accumulated plenty of caps for Canada during her time at Harvard University. But this has still been her first season in senior club football and that fact makes her performances all the more outstanding.

  Throw in all the other factors - a new club, a new league, new team-mates and a new manager - and how well Rose has settled has been brilliant. Her centre-back partner has changed, too, but the 23-year-old has been constantly reliable.

  Ranking joint-fifth in the WSL for shots blocked, Rose's defensive work has been excellent, with her leading City's squad for clearances and ranking in the top five for interceptions made and aerial duels won. Her importance in possession has shone, too, with only two players in England's top-flight registering more accurate passes than Rose, who is also second among City's outfield players for accurate long balls.

  "In the years to come, in the near future, she could become one of the best defenders in the world," City's star striker Khadija Shaw said of Rose. That speaks volumes.

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  20Selma Bacha (Lyon)

  There were two major differences between the Lyon team that lost the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal, and the one that beat the Gunners on home soil to turn the tie around and reach the final. One was the return of Melchie Dumornay, and the other was the return of Selma Bacha.

  In his first season at Lyon, Jonatan Giraldez has rotated his team a lot in the league especially, meaning some key players could stay fresh for the Champions League and other high stakes games. Bacha, thus, only ended up starting 12 of OL's league fixtures.

  However, she racked up seven assists in the competition despite that and was one of the French champions' best players as they secured a domestic treble and reached the Champions League final.

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  19Caroline Weir (Real Madrid)

  There are a lot of high-profile names set to be on the move this summer, as their contracts expire ahead of what looks like it will be a frenzied transfer window. One of those flying a little bit under the radar is Caroline Weir, whose final season in Liga F with Real Madrid was her most prolific yet.

  Only two players in the Spanish top-flight were directly involved in more goals than the Scotland international, with her 13 goals and five assists in 18 starts helping Real to finish second again. Despite Las Blancas' rather paltry defeat to Barca in the Champions League quarter-finals, she was also one of the most productive players in Europe's top competition, with five goals and two assists in nine outings placing her eighth for goal contributions in that competition - with every player above her playing more minutes.

  Weir has proven year after year that she is an elite game-changer in attack and reports suggest that, after a trophy-less four years, one of Europe's best are now set to give her the opportunity to use those qualities to lift titles, with Champions League finalists Lyon reportedly ready to bring the 30-year-old to France.

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  18Wendie Renard (Lyon)

  Truly a legend of the women's game, Wendie Renard continues to perform brilliantly at the elite level and was a huge factor in another fantastic season for Lyon. Her partnership with summer signing Ingrid Engen in the heart of defence was excellent, with the two getting onto the same page impressively quickly this year.

  Renard's display in the 4-0 battering of Wolfsburg in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, after a 1-0 loss in Germany in the first leg, was a highlight, and she showcased the goal-scoring part of her game in the second leg of the semi-final with Arsenal, showing impressive composure from the spot to level the tie up.

  It was one of 10 goals the towering centre-back scored in all competitions, with her clinical touch from 12 yards and her aerial threat on show throughout the campaign, complementing her defensive excellence to make her an asset in both boxes and, as a result, one of the best players in Europe this season.

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  17Kerstin Casparij (Manchester City)

  Kerstin Casparij has been one of the most consistent full-backs in the WSL for a while, but this season saw her go to another level. In a greater leadership role and boasting plenty of experience after her fourth season at Manchester City, the 25-year-old was the only defender to hit double figures for direct goal involvements in the English top-flight, after registering three goals and seven assists from her right-back role.

  Casparij's high energy has been vital to the way new City boss Andree Jeglertz wanted his team to play, with her able to support the attack and cover defensively with fantastic balance, helping the club to be the top scorers in the division but also boast the second-best attack.

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  16Romee Leuchter (Paris Saint-Germain)

  There will surely be some elite clubs out to test Paris Saint-Germain's resolve in the summer transfer market, as Romee Leuchter enters the final year of her contract in the French capital. The Netherlands international scored seven more goals than any other player in the Premiere Ligue this season to win its Golden Boot, with seven assists on top of her 18 goals - in just 19 appearances - making her the division's most productive player by some distance.

  Dig deeper and the stats do a great job of illustrating just how good Leuchter was. She was directly involved in 25 of the 51 league goals that PSG scored this term and netted 18 times from an expected goals statistic of just 9.17.

  This isn't a flash in the pan, either, after a very solid first campaign in Paris returned nine goals and four assists from 15 starts. The 25-year-old stepped up another level this time around, though, following some key departures in the attack in the transfer window.

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  15Claudia Pina (Barcelona)

  It was a season of two halves for Claudia Pina. She started it on fire, scoring 20 goals and providing eight assists through her first 27 games, racing into pole position for the Liga F Golden Boot as a result. But those contributions tailed off slightly in the New Year, with her returning just 10 goals and one assist in her final 25 outings.

  Still, Pina did win that Golden Boot, she scored in the Copa de la Reina final win over Atletico Madrid and she played a key part in Barca's successful quest for a quadruple, with her performances in the league in particular helping to mark her out as one of the best players in Europe this season.

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  14Vivianne Miedema (Manchester City)

  It's been a while since the world has been able to watch Vivianne Miedema at her very best, at least on a consistent basis. Injuries have plagued the Netherlands star since she suffered an ACL tear back in 2022, with subsequent surgeries and an inability to stay fit causing disruption. But after showing glimpses of her quality in her first season at Man City, Miedema has been back near her highest level this year to help the club win the WSL title.

  It's the first time in four years that the 29-year-old has hit double figures in the WSL, with only two players registering more goals and assists than her, despite Miedema missing the final few weeks of the season to spend time at home as her mother dealt with serious illness.

  She signed off for the WSL season with a bang though, scoring twice at Old Trafford in a 3-0 battering of Manchester United, then returned in time for the FA Cup final, marking her comeback with a superb goal to help City do the double for the first time in a decade.

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  13Ingrid Engen (Lyon)

  After switching between a holding midfield role and the centre-back position at times in her career, Ingrid Engen has been immense as the latter this season. Lyon boss Giraldez knows plenty about Engen from his time managing her at Barcelona, with the coach's understanding of the player's strengths and the player's understanding of the coach's ideas clearly making for a great combination because Engen has been excellent this year.

  That's been the case especially in the Champions League, in which the Norway international played every single minute of her 10 starts as Lyon reached the final, only rested for the league phase clash with St. Polten. Her quality on the ball was crucial in helping Giraldez implement his philosophy effectively, and her excellent defending helped keep OL solid for the most part despite the emphasis being largely in attack.

  Engen can fly under the radar, but this season was a reminder of why she shouldn't. She's an incredibly reliable and well-rounded player at the elite level, whether it is as a defender or a midfielder.

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  12Mapi Leon (Barcelona)

  There has been a lot of talk about how impactful some of the departures from Barcelona this summer will be. In Alexia Putellas, the club is losing one of the best players on the planet, while Ona Batlle, who is set to join Arsenal, is one of the best full-backs in the women's game, too. But perhaps there is not enough talk - at least externally - about how much the Catalans are going to miss Mapi Leon.

  Leon is one of the best centre-backs in the world, if not the best, and she emphasised as much during her final season with Barca, despite missing a couple of months with an ankle issue. Her quality in possession is the obvious stand-out trait, but the 30-year-old is also a truly excellent defender, with her anticipation, pace and timing in a tackle all vital and particularly impressive given how quickly she often needs to showcase it all, in a team that dominates most games.

  Leon was a huge player in Barca's quadruple and will be sorely missed, with her set to depart on a free and seemingly join London City Lionesses.

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  11Esmee Brugts (Barcelona)

  What an outstanding season Esmee Brugts has had. After arriving at Barcelona as a versatile young forward, she has successfully adapted to an attacking left-back role and, given that position on an even more regular basis this year after Fridolina Rolfo's exit, she has just enjoyed her best campaign to date in Catalunya.

  Registering 11 goals and eight assists from that deeper role, how Brugts rose to the occasion in the latter stages of the campaign was particularly impressive. As the chase for a quadruple heated up, in the league, the Champions League and the Copa de la Reina, the 22-year-old enjoyed a run of five goals and two assists in nine starts, one which began in the 6-2 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of Barca's European quarter-final.

  She registered direct goal involvements in the Supercopa final, all four Champions League knockout games before the final and the Copa de la Reina final.

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  10Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City)

  What a year it has been for Yui Hasegawa. After captaining Japan to Asian Cup glory in March, the midfielder has now broken her duck for trophies at Manchester City, playing a key role in a Women's Super League title charge that finally came good, plus an FA Cup triumph.

  As is often the case with holding midfielders, it can be hard to find the numbers that illustrate just how good Hasegawa has been. Her well-roundedness is showcased in the various statistics she ranks highly for in the WSL though, with her in the top-five for interceptions, passes into the final third and chances created.

  The 29-year-old has been able to rack up a few more goal involvements this year, too, in a different system that allows her to get forward that little bit more. Most notable of them all was her assist in the FA Cup semi-final win over Chelsea, with her showing great anticipation to pounce on Hannah Hampton's misplaced pass before crossing the ball in for Khadija Shaw, who headed City in front to complete the turnaround from 2-0 down and send the team to Wembley - where they would beat Brighton 4-0.

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  9Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona)

  Caroline Graham Hansen's consistency continues to astound, with this yet another wonderfully productive season in which the Norwegian showcased why she is one of the best in the world.

  After a solid start to the campaign, she was another of Barcelona's stars who really heated up when the pressure increased, with two goals and three assists in the three games against Real Madrid in the spring and a truly marvellous performance in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, to provide two assists in the 4-2 victory.

  With a total of 14 goals and 16 assists in all competitions, this wasn't a season as numbers-heavy as some of Graham Hansen's previous, but the level was still right up there. For her to get the opportunity to win the Champions League in her home city of Oslo, too, was a wonderfully deserved moment.

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  8Alessia Russo (Arsenal)

  Alessia Russo has made such wonderful progress in the last couple of years. Last season was a big one for her, with 19 goals and 17 assists, as England won the Euros and Arsenal won the Champions League, putting her on the podium at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. This time around, the team successes that helped propel her into Golden Ball contention are lacking, but on an individual basis, it's been an even better campaign for the Lionesses star when it comes to goal-scoring.

  Despite not having a major tournament to add to her numbers, having racked up five direct goal contributions at Euro 2025, Russo ends the 2025-26 season with 29 goals and nine assists to her name, with her thriving both as a centre-forward but also as a No.10 for Arsenal in a campaign that has seen head coach Renee Slegers use Stina Blackstenius and Russo together at times, rather than deploying one or the other.

  Most impressive of all is how many of those impactful performances have come in the Champions League, in the biggest games. Last year, Russo scored seven goals as Arsenal won the title and she bagged eight this time, as the Gunners came so close to returning to the final. She's a seriously big-game player.

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  7Klara Buhl (Bayern Munich)

  What a couple of years it has been for Klara Buhl. The winger has always been highly rated, but it feels like she has gone up another level in the past two seasons, to become consistently impactful and a real game-wrecker on the biggest stages.

  Buhl has racked up 10 goals and 22 assists this season, despite missing two months of action in the spring. That injury ruled her out of the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United and left her fighting to get back fit for the semi against Barcelona, but she still managed to be a real thorn in the Catalans' side despite starting the first leg with just one substitute appearance under her belt since returning.

  Watching Buhl leave Batlle, one of the best full-backs in the world, in a spin during the clash at the Allianz Arena, as Bayern held Barca to a 1-1 draw, one wouldn't have known she was just back fit. It was a performance that encapsulated just what makes the Germany international so good in a season that has been packed with quality from her.

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  6Patri Guijarro (Barcelona)

  This was a good season to illustrate just how vital Patri Guijarro is to Barcelona. The Spain international missed three months of action in the middle of the campaign and, in that period, the Catalans didn't quite look the same. As Ingrid Engen, her former Barca team-mate now at Lyon, put it before the two met in the Champions League final: "When Patri is playing, Barca is playing top football."

  It can be hard to quantify that at times, because of the holding midfield role Guijarro plays. Described as "part of the brain of the team" by head coach Pere Romeu, she is so often the player that makes Barca tick, with her quality on the ball, spatial awareness and excellent defensive attributes.

  She also has a knack for big attacking moments. Scorer of two goals when Barca beat Wolfsburg in the Champions League final three years ago, her determined run forward to spearhead the counter-attack that led to Ewa Pajor doubling the Catalans' lead in this year's final was another example of as much. Guijarro is one of the very best.

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  5Khadija Shaw (Manchester City)

  There was no better player in England this season than Khadija Shaw, who scored 27 goals in all competitions for Manchester City to lead them to a first WSL title in 10 years and a first FA Cup triumph in six. It's the fourth season that Shaw has hit double figures in the WSL, to win her third successive Golden Boot, but for it all to also come with team success this time will feel so good for a player who has endured those disappointing title races that just fell apart at the end.

  It's not just Shaw's goals that make her so brilliant. She also racked up nine assists this term, with her ability to create for others evident both with her passing but also her movement, while her defensive contributions are praised time and time again by team-mates.

  Whether pressing from the front or heading away crosses into her own box, the Jamaica international is a complete forward and has been one of the best players in the world this season, again.

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  4Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich)

  Aged 33, this has been one of Pernille Harder's best seasons. That's a high bar, too, considering this is one of the best players the women's game has seen, one who likely would've won the Ballon d'Or had it been awarded in 2020 and one who has won a league title every year since 2016.

  This year, she helped fire Bayern Munich to another domestic treble, scoring 20 goals and providing nine assists in 29 outings, while also leading the club to their best Champions League campaign in five years. Harder racked up a further eight goals and three assists in that competition, in nine games, as Bayern reached the semi-finals. There, eventual champions Barcelona would win a thrilling tie 5-3 on aggregate, but Harder was one of the best players on the pitch and helped drag her side back into it several times.

  It's been an incredible campaign from the Bayern captain, in a variety of positions, with her showing no signs of slowing down.

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  3Melchie Dumornay (Lyon)

  Despite her still being just 22 years old, it's already clear that Melchie Dumornay is one of the best players in the world. After spending most of last season in a No.9 role, new Lyon boss Giraldez dropped the versatile forward into midfield this term, in order to increase the influence she could have on games.

  "A number nine only gets the chance to do very specific things," he explained. "I think she's very capable to do different things."

  Dumornay has proven that all season long, so often standing out as the very best player on the pitch in any given game. That was especially the case in the Champions League, with her performances against Arsenal, Wolfsburg and Manchester United in the league phase particularly impressive, while her displays in the second legs of both the quarter-finals and the semi-finals were defining.

  It wasn't to be in the final, with Dumornay's wait for a European title to continue, but this was still a remarkable season for a player who scored in all three domestic finals - including a hat-trick in the league title-decider - as Lyon won the treble.

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  2Ewa Pajor (Barcelona)

  Ewa Pajor has been one of the best strikers in the game for years now. Picked up by Wolfsburg as a promising 18-year-old who was scoring goals for fun in her native Poland, she would blossom into a world-beater, albeit one who rarely got the credit she deserved, playing for a lower-ranked nation and in a less-publicised league. Since moving to Barcelona two years ago, that has changed, especially this year.

  Last season, Pajor won the Gerd Muller Trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, after scoring 52 goals - 19 more than anyone else - and ranked eighth in the voting for the main award. This time around, she is a genuine, serious contender for the Golden Ball, despite scoring at a lesser rate.

  Her 33 goals are still among the highest in Europe this season, though, and many of them came in the very biggest moments. Pajor's brace in the Champions League final, to win the title for the first time on her sixth attempt, is the best example, taking her tally in the knockout stages up to seven goals in five games. With four in the league phase, she was two clear of Russo to win the competition's Golden Boot in a season that saw her step up to the big occasion every single time.

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  1Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)

  It's hard to argue that there was a better player in Europe this season than Alexia Putellas. In what would prove to be her final season at Barcelona, the two-time Ballon d'Or winner delivered her very best in every sense to help the Catalans win the quadruple.

  With 22 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, her contributions in a tangible sense were there for all to see. Putellas' performance in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich was a particular stand-out, with two goals helping Barca to a necessary win that booked them a spot in the final. Her three goals and three assists in the three consecutive games against Real Madrid a few weeks prior was a sight to behold, too.

  But Putellas' leadership throughout this season deserves as much praise as her actual quality on the pitch. With Guijarro and Bonmati suffering injuries that sidelined them for several months, the 32-year-old did an excellent job in helping younger, inexperienced players settle alongside her in midfield and thrive.

  She is one of the greatest to ever do it, and this season was one of her best.