Well, the countdown continues. After ranking the top 15 greatest women's soccer forwards of all time, it's now time to look at the center of the field.
What makes a good midfielder? Is it character and composure with so much chaos going on around you? Is it sheer technique? The ability to connect with teammates and turn a match on its head? That's what we're going to try and figure out.
Something to keep in mind is that a player's peak and a player's total statistics aren't always equal. Yes, one player could have amassed more numbers overall, but how special were they when they were at their best? How was the club or national team they played for a factor in the data or what they achieved in their career?
Here is top 15 greatest women's soccer midfielders of all time…
15. Shannon Boxx
Peak: 2003-2009
Major Achievements: Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, 2015 World Cup winner, and 2010 WPS Championship.
Revered for the way she read the game and carried herself off the pitch, Shannon Box was a consummate professional who firmed up the base of the USA midfield from 2003 until her retirement in 2015. She walked away with 195 caps and 27 goals for her country. In her prime, there were very few players you would want beside you more than Boxx.
14. Hege Riise
Peak: 1994-2000
Major Achievements: 1995 FIFA World Cup and Golden Ball winner, 1993 UEFA Euro and Golden Ball winner, 2000 Olympic Gold medalist, 2002 WUSA Founder's Cup, 1992 Norwegian Cup, and1996 Japanese League title.
During the 1990s, there was a tornado whirling across soccer pitches around the world. That twister was Hege Riise. The Norwegian dribbled like she was shot out of a cannon. Her goal in the 1995 FIFA World Cup final was the crowning moment of her 188-match international career.
13. Kristine Lilly
Peak: 1994-2000
Major Achievements: Two FIFA World Cups, two Olympic Gold medals, and four NCAA National Championships.
In soccer, there will never be another player like Kristine Lilly. The persistent midfielder spent 23 years on the U.S. women's national team and holds the record for the most caps of any soccer player ever (men's or women's) with 354. Despite scoring 130 goals for the USA, she may be best remembered for her defensive clearance off the line in the 1999 FIFA World Cup final against China. Simply one of a kind.
12. Lauren Holiday
Peak: 2009-2015
Major Achievements: 2015 FIFA World Cup, two Olympic Gold medals, 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship, two NWSL Championships, two-time NWSL MVP, 2013 NWSL Golden Boot, and 2014 U.S. Female Athlete of the Year.
A short career, a big impact. Lauren Holliday played for the USA for just eight years but took the world by storm in that time by lighting up the game with stunning long-range goals. At 28, after winning the 2015 FIFA World Cup and having scored in the final against Japan, the playmaker walked away from the sport already a legend with 133 caps and 24 goals.
11. Perpetua Nkwocha
Peak: 2004-2010
Major Achievements: Five WAFCON titles, four-time African Player of the Year, and three-time WAFCON Golden Boot.
What made Perpetua Nkwocha was her anticipation. The ability to predict how a play would unfold before it was happening. This arose from a superior focus and understanding of the game than most players. The Nigerian remains one of the greatest players ever to come out of Africa. Her legendary WAFCON moments include a four-goal haul in the 2004 final against Cameroon and scoring 11 goals in the 2010 tournament. She retired with 80 goals in just 99 appearances for the Super Falcons.
10. Aya Miyama
Peak: 2007-2012
Major Achievements: 2011 FIFA World Cup, 2014 Asia Cup and Golden Ball, and three-time AFC Women's Player of the Year.
The veering, curling beauty of an Aya Miyama free kick is something goalkeepers will never forget facing. The former Japan captain's magnificent technique and calm demeanor from the spot are partially what made her one of the most highly regarded players of the late 2000s. Of course, her career highlight will perhaps be her rugged short-range equalizer against the USA in the 2011 FIFA World Cup final, which helped to spark that famous comeback win on penalties.
9. Dzsenifer Marozsan
Peak: 2013-2019
Major Achievements: 2013 UEFA Women's Euro, 2016 Olympic Gold, six UEFA Women's Champions Leagues, seven French Premiere Ligue titles, three-time German women's Soccer Player of the Year.
With a touch as light as a feather and a strike as hard as a rock, Dzsenifer Marozsan is one of the most entertaining soccer players ever. Incredible close control, matched with outrageous passing ability, allowed the notoriously shy German to let her game do the talking. She scored 33 times for her country in 112 appearances before retiring from international soccer in 2023. Her father, János Marozsán, was also a professional soccer player and represented Hungary.
8. Sissi
Peak: 1995-2000
Major Achievements: Two Copa Americas, 2001 WUSA Founders Cup, 2004 WPSL Championship, 1999 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner, and four Brazilian league titles.
Before Marta, there was Sissi. A dead-ball specialist, no opposing goalkeeper was safe when the Brazilian stood ominously above the ball, waiting to spectacularly bend a free kick with an exquisite technical bend. It was at the 1999 FIFA World Cup in the USA that her star truly ascended. Brazil finished third overall, Sissi scored seven goals, won the Golden Boot, and then earned a headline-grabbing $5,000 move to Palmeiras. Sadly, she never featured at another World Cup again.
7. Kim Little
Peak: 2012-2016
Major Achievements: Two NWSL Shields, three WSL titles, three FA Cups, six League Cups, 2015/16 Australian W-League title, 2013 PFA Player of the Year, 2014 NWSL MVP, and 2016 BBC Women's Footballer of the Year.
Born and raised in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, a teenage Kim Little used to drive seven hours round trip to Edinburgh to train with Hibernian. But all that dedication paid off. A maestro on the pitch, there's an artistic way to how Little plays the game with short passes and masterful turns generating breath-taking moments. Her two-season stint in the USA with Seattle Reign, where she had 40 goal involvements in 43 league matches, is the stuff of NWSL legend.
6. Sam Mewis
Peak: 2016-2021
Major Achievements: 2019 FIFA World Cup, 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, 2013 NCAA National Championship, two NWSL Championships, three NWSL Shields, 2020/21 FA Cup, and 2020 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year.
Sam Mewis was tactically and structurally switched on and a ball-winning force all over the pitch. Few could make the right decision as consistently as Mewis. Injuries robbed her of several seasons before eventually forcing her to retire from soccer altogether in 2024. The engine and the glue behind the USA's great 2019 FIFA World Cup win.
5. Crystal Dunn
Peak: 2015-2020
Major Achievements: 2024 W Gold Cup, 2019 FIFA World Cup, 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, 2012 NCAA National Championship, three NWSL Championships, four NWSL Shields, 2021 CONCACAF Player of the Year, and 2015 NWSL MVP and Golden Boot.
Perhaps too accomplished at multiple positions, for many years, the soccer world has never consistently been able to see Crystal Dunn playing her preferred midfield role for the U.S. women's national team. While often deployed as a full-back for her country, at the club level, her immaculate positional awareness, control with both feet, and vision have sustained her as a creative force. One of the most decorated NWSL players in the league's history.
4. Formiga
Peak: 2010-2019
Major Achievements: 2013 UEFA Women's Euro, 2016 Olympic Gold, six UEFA Women's Champions Leagues, seven French Premiere Ligue titles, three-time German women's Soccer Player of the Year.
The eternal one. In the late 1990s, Miraildes Maciel Mota was given the nickname Formiga, which means ant in Portuguese, because of her tireless and unselfish style of play. The moniker stuck, and for 26 years, the defensive midfielder was the anchor that kept the Brazilian national team ticking along. She is the only player (men's or women's) to have featured in seven World Cups. She also played a record 254 matches with Brazil.
3. Pernille Harder
Peak: 2016-2021
Major Achievements: Three WSL titles, three FA Cups, 2020/21 League Cup, five Frauen Bundesliga titles, 2016 Swedish Damallsvenskan title and Golden Boot, two Swedish Cups, two-time Damallsvenskan MVP, and two-time UEFA Women's Player of the Year.
Versatile and valorous, one of Pernille Harder's most valuable attributes is her ability to feature anywhere in the midfield and attack. On and off the ball, the Dane has a ruthless nature. She can hound opponents in the press, compete for duels, or thrash the ball into the net from a tight angle. Even with Denmark struggling to level up on the international stage, she has amassed 156 appearances and 76 goals for her country. One the greatest all-rounders.
2. Aitana Bonmati
Peak: 2021-Present
Major Achievements: 2023 FIFA World Cup and Golden Ball winner, five Liga F titles, three UEFA Women's Champions League titles, six Copa de la Reinas, four Supercopa de Espana, 2023 UEFA Women's Player of the Year, and two-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Aitana Bonmati's command of the ball is a special thing. Her first touch is immaculate, but every single one that follows is precise and full of trickery. She glides around the pitch, bursts into space, and lights up the box. At 27, coming off two historic seasons with FC Barcelona and Spain, Bonmati is still bringing an intensity to show that she wants even more success.
1. Alexia Putellas
Peak: 2015-2022
Major Achievements: 2023 FIFA World Cup and Golden Ball winner, eight Liga F titles, three UEFA Women's Champions League titles, nine Copa de la Reinas, two Supercopa de Espana, two-time UEFA Women's Player of the Year, and two-time Ballon d'Or winner.
In Catalonia, Alexia Putellas is known as 'La Reina' — the queen. Her kingdom is the half-space. The pockets between opposing that an ordinary player wouldn't be able to exploit. Famed for her outstanding left foot, when Putellas is not launching shots, she can flick and jink her way out of pressure and set teammates free with inch-perfect passes. She is Barcelona's all-time women's goalscorer with 205 and also holds the record for the most appearances for Spain's women's national team with 121.
