These female legends are more than just players; they carry a legacy created on the football pitch that has made many dreams come true. Each of their journeys carries hope to inspire the new generation of athletes. Their career has given rise to and helped in the growth of women’s football in sports.
Marta Vieira da Silva
Marta Vieira da Silva, a record-breaking striker and the only player to add her footprint to the sidewalk of fame at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro in 2018.
In 2002 she joined Brazil’s national women’s team, and since then her contribution to the football industry as a woman player has been legendary. She is the only player to get awarded with ‘World Player of the Year’ for five consecutive times (from 2006 to 2010). In 2018, she received the honor for the sixth time by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
She is the all-time FIFA World Cup goal scorer across men and women players and, with 17 goals, holds the record for the most goals scored in World Cup tournaments.
Kristine Lilly
One of the most accomplished players in the history of women’s football, Lilly is the only athlete to appear in five FIFA Women’s World Cups.
During her career in the U.S., she was also the only player to represent them across four decades and to become their youngest and eldest player to score a goal. She was named ‘U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year’ three times and is the first player to hit 300 caps.
As for her accolades, she is a four-time All-American and led the Tar Heels to four NCAA titles. She holds the world record for the maximum number of international appearances (200) and is called the Queen of Caps with 354. She played in three Olympic Games and claimed three medals.
She has played the role of a midfielder and forward. She retired from her career at the age of 39, finishing as the second-highest goal scorer in the U.S. with 130 international goals. Her jersey number was retired by the University of North Carolina Hall of Fame.
Mia Hamm
An important female football figure in the Women’s United Soccer Association (the first women’s professional soccer league in the U.S.). She has played in four FIFA Women’s World Cups since the inaugural season in 1991, in which the U.S. won the gold medal.
Her career statistics include 158 goals and 144 assists while playing for her country. She is also a three-time Olympian and a three-time Olympic medalist with two gold and one silver medals.
Besides this, she was named the U.S. Women’s Soccer Athlete of the Year for five consecutive times and is a three-time ESPY award winner, including Soccer Player of the Year and Women’s Athlete of the Year.
Michelle Akers
One of the greatest woman players of all time, she was an influential player for the United States and won the 1991 and 1999 Women’s World Cups. She also received her first Olympic gold medal for the US in 1996 after defeating China with a score of 2-1.
Former USA coach Tony DiCicco referred to her as “the best woman that has ever played the game” during her illustrious 15-year international career. Her popularity went global as she became the first women’s football player to get honored with ‘FIFA Player of the Century’ in 2000.
In 1998, she received the FIFA Order of Merit, the only female to get the highest honorary award from FIFA for her contributions to the game. She finished her career with 105 goals, 37 assists, and 247 points in a total of 153 games.
Sun Wen
Another legendary female footballer of all time, Sun had an illustrious career from 1989 to 2006 playing for China. In 2000, Sun was named FIFA’s Female Player of the Century alongside Akers. Sun also has an Olympic silver medal playing for the Chinese team at Atlanta 1996.
In 1989, she joined the Chinese women’s league at the age of 16 and played in four FIFA Women’s World Cups, establishing her career on the international stage. She helped China to win five Asian Cup titles (1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, and 2006). In the 1999 World Cup, Sun scored seven goals, earning the Golden Boot and Golden Ball.
