Aitana Bonmati, Lindsey Horan & GOAL's European Women's Team of the 2023-24 Season

Bayern Munich’s second successive Frauen-Bundesliga title was built on a similar foundation to last year’s triumph, that being a truly rock solid defence, and Mala Grohs’ contributions to their insane record at the back should not go under the radar.

Grohs kept 14 clean sheets in 21 Bundesliga outings this season, conceding just seven times, despite the expected goals statistics saying that she should have conceded on more than 11 occasions. While that is also thanks to the great defenders in front of her, no goalkeeper who played two or more games in the competition had a better save percentage than the Bayern shot-stopper. That’s quite a stat given she plays for Germany’s best team.

Bayern didn’t have the success in Europe they might’ve hoped this year, falling victim to the ‘group of death’ which saw Ajax and Paris Saint-Germain qualify at the expense of themselves and Italian champions Roma, but it should be noted that Grohs put in some strong performances despite that outcome.

If you’re having a conversation about the best right-back in the women’s game, then Ellie Carpenter is well in the mix. Returning to action midway through last season after a devastating ACL injury, it understandably took the Australia international a bit of time to get back to her best level, but it feels like she’s approaching that right now.

Still only 24 years old, Carpenter is a reliable performer, the kind of player you always get a seven out of 10 performance from as a minimum. Her tireless energy up and down the right flank are a feature for club and country and allow the attack and the defence to be supported at all times.

That she saved one of her best performances of the season for the Division 1 Feminine play-off final against PSG tells you all about her ability to step up in the biggest moments, too, helping Lyon to claim yet another league title.

One of Carpenter’s Lyon team-mates could’ve lined up next to her in this XI here, such has been Gridge Mbock Bathy’s solid return after an injury-hit 2022-23, but it’s Chelsea’s Jess Carter who gets the nod instead thanks to her heroic defensive displays that helped keep the Blues in check at the back despite so many absentees. Carter had five centre-back partners this season at Chelsea because of injuries and really stepped up with captain Millie Bright missing for most of the campaign in particular.

She was a colossus in the Champions League semi-final first-leg win over Barcelona and one of the Blues’ best performers in the return game at Stamford Bridge, too, turning up for the big occasion despite an eventual defeat for Emma Hayes’ side. Carter’s consistency was key in Chelsea’s ability to retain their WSL title, too.

When Barcelona lost Mapi Leon to a serious knee injury back in December, it felt like the European champions suddenly had a huge weakness in the team. Leon is arguably the very best centre-back on the planet; how do you replace someone of that calibre?

But Ingrid Engen, moving back into the heart of defence from her more regular midfield role, has stepped up brilliantly to ensure Barca haven’t felt Leon’s absence as strongly as one might’ve expected. That Irene Paredes, Leon’s usual centre-back partner, has also been out for spells this season only makes Engen’s displays more impressive.

“My situation has changed a lot,” she told Sport in April. “When an opportunity like the one I had arises, you have to seize it - and that's what I'm doing.”

It’s incredibly difficult to choose between Selma Bacha and PSG's Sakina Karchaoui for this spot as both have been consistently brilliant for their teams this season in all competitions. However, Bacha’s role in Lyon’s run to the Champions League final sees her take the place by the finest of margins.

No one has created more chances in the Champions League this season than Bacha, whose quick-fire goal in the second leg of Lyon’s semi-final meeting with PSG set the eight-time champions on their way to this year’s final. In France, she was key to OL retaining their league crown ahead of the Parisians too, with only Paris FC’s Gaetane Thiney carving out more opportunities for team-mates across the division.

With an ability to play at left-back or further forward, the work Bacha does on both sides of the ball is so helpful to Lyon’s cause, especially when coupled with Carpenter’s work-rate on the opposite flank.

Before we kick-off the midfield, a few players deserve honourable mentions. Patri Guijarro has continued to excel as one of the best No.6s in the women’s game this season, if not the best, to help Barcelona dominate across the board; Erin Cuthbert was the unsung hero of Chelsea’s campaign and deserves a lot of credit for her leadership and standard-setting performances; while Manuela Giugliano should soon start entering the conversation when it comes to the world’s best midfielders after another fantastic year that was instrumental to Roma’s second-successive league title.

But the first name in the middle of the park is Grace Geyoro. The PSG captain always sets the tone and leads this group admirably, doing so to a Coupe de France triumph and the Champions League semi-finals this term.

In the league, which ended with the Parisians losing 2-1 to Lyon in the title-decider, no one completed more successful passes in the final third than Geyoro, whose 12 goals across the campaign were only bettered by team-mate Tabitha Chawinga (more on her later). In the Champions League, only four players won possession back more, three of them defenders.

Nominated for Player of the Year at both of the French league's award ceremonies, and named to both Teams of the Season, Lindsey Horan's well-rounded game was key as Lyon maintained their status as champions of France.

That’s despite her not always being deployed in a position that maximises her game, too, with Horan capable of adapting and doing the job that the team needs in order for the collective to be successful.

When Lyon made the United States women’s national team star’s loan permanent last summer, it didn’t come cheap, with the Portland Thorns receiving a fee of €250,000 (£213,000/$271,000), potentially rising to €300,000 (£255,000/$325,000). But Horan has proved that she was absolutely worth it.

What more is there to say about Aitana Bonmati? The holder of the Ballon d'Or has been exemplary for Barcelona again this season, with no player involved in more goals in the Champions League. Some of those contributions have been telling, too, with her levelling the semi-final tie against Chelsea on aggregate before winning the penalty that decided it. It's a similar story in Spain, where only Caroline Graham Hansen, her team-mate in electric form, can boast a better return than her 11 assists.

Bonmati's work on the other side of the ball shouldn't be ignored either, with her a real asset out of possession with her tenacity, high energy and reading of the game. If Barca win Saturday's final, it'll seal a first-ever quadruple, and Bonmati's wonderful performances are a big reason they are in such a position.

Lyon's Kadidiatou Diani certainly deserves a mention as we move into the forward line of this XI, the France star having had a wonderful first season with the club, but it is a player who will be her opponent in Bilbao this weekend who takes up the first spot in the front three.

In Spain, no one has created more chances, scored more goals or made more assists in 2023-24 than Caroline Graham Hansen. She has been one of the very best, if not the best, in her position for several years, and her numbers this year seem to have finally allowed her to soak up the plaudits she deserved.

In the league, she has 19 goals and 18 assists in just 23 appearances. In the Supercopa, she registered three goals and two assists in only two outings. In the Copa de la Reina, she produced the same numbers in three games. Such productivity helped Barca triumph in all three competitions to set them up for their quadruple shot.

With five goals and five assists in nine Champions League appearances this term, Graham Hansen is one of those the Catalans will look to for a moment of magic in Saturday's final, too, as they try to seal an incredible feat.

Were it not for some time out injured, Ada Hegerberg would be well in with a shout of leading the line in this team, having netted 17 goals in all competitions despite a spell on the sidelines, while Marie-Antoinette Katoto has worked hard to return to her best after an ACL rupture, with 20 strikes to her name this term. However, the No.9 spot belongs to Salma Paralluelo, who has scored 32 times for Barcelona across the campaign.

Paralluelo settled well in Catalunya last year and showed plenty of glimpses of her quality before heading off to the World Cup and producing on the big stage for Spain, too. But despite the important role she was able to play for her country as they became world champions, her game has even gone up another level in the time since.

Still only 20 years old, she has proven and a threat both out wide and through the middle this term, and that she is still refining her game is quite an incredible prospect. She looks set for a huge future.

Crowned Player of the Year at the UNFP Awards and Player of the Season at the Division 1 Feminine Awards, Tabitha Chawinga has been absolutely unstoppable for PSG this term. Her 19 goals and 10 assists made her the most productive player in the French league by some margin (nine goals clear of anyone else) and allowed her to scoop the Golden Boot on top of those big individual accolades. A return of five goals in the Champions League was only topped by three players, too, as she helped the Parisians reach the last four.

Neither of those competitions ended in a team trophy, but the Coupe de France did, and had Chawinga not netted an 85th-minute equaliser against Paris FC in the semi-finals, PSG might not have got their hands on that title. She’s genuinely been one of the most impressive performers anywhere in Europe this season.