Moving the Goalposts | Women’s Ballon d’Or 2026 energy rankings: will a brand new winner be topped?
1 Melchie Dumornay (OL Lyonnes/Haiti) Yes, Dumornay was a part of a staff that misplaced 4-0 to Barcelona in last season’s Champions League final, however her influence in the OL Lyonnes midfield as they cruised to a home treble stepped up a gear. The technically good 23-year-old midfielder was named participant of the yr by the French gamers’ union, and her significance to Lyonnes was most clearly demonstrated by her absence by way of damage for his or her 2-1 loss to Arsenal of their Champions League semi-final first leg. She returned for the second leg and produced a player-of-the-match efficiency in a 3-1 win. Dumornay scored 5 objectives in Lyonnes’ Champions League run and was named within the staff of the match.
2 Ewa Pajor (Barcelona/Poland) After dropping 5 Champions League finals, Pajor shook off her ‘all the time the bridesmaid, by no means the bride’ mantle in type with two objectives as Barcelona thrashed Lyonnes in Oslo. The 29-year-old’s 11 objectives in European competitors final season matched Alexia Putella’s 2021-22 tally, which has not been bettered since Ada Hegerberg’s record-breaking 15 in 2017-18. Pajor additionally scored 16 objectives in Liga F, behind solely her Barcelona teammate Claudia Pina who scored 21.
3 Khadija Shaw (Manchester City/Jamaica) Shaw is the one participant to win three Women’s Super League golden boots and he or she received them consecutively. The 29-year-old was again to her unplayable finest final season, scoring 21 objectives in 22 video games as Manchester City swept to a league and FA Cup double and, a lot to the membership’s aid, signing a new contract. It isn’t just Shaw’s numbers which can be spectacular; her hold-up play, defensive work and imaginative and prescient are additionally deeply spectacular. All that helped her to the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and Football Writers’ Association (FWA) participant of the yr awards. She scored 9 objectives and was named within the Best XI on this yr’s Concacaf Women’s Championship qualification, serving to Jamaica make the match correct.
4 Alexia Putellas (London City Lionesses/Spain) Putellas was in beautiful type in her ultimate season at Barcelona earlier than she moved to London City Lionesses in July. Having sustained an anterior cruciate ligament damage in 2022 that dominated her out of that summer season’s Euros, the two-time Ballon d’Or winner’s return to motion, and finest type, took a while. She scored seven objectives within the Champions League final season and 9 objectives and 7 assists in Liga F, as Barcelona received a surprising quadruple. The 32-year-old additionally scored the second and third objectives in a 4-0 defeat of England to safe Spain’s World Cup qualification at their opponent’s expense.
5 Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City/Japan) Hasegawa makes a 3rd look on the Ballon d’Or longlist having missed out final yr. The 29-year-old was a critical component in City’s double, the conductor of Andrée Jeglertz’s midfield. She was named within the PFA staff of the yr and in addition helped Japan to a 3rd AFC Women’s Asian Cup win, eight years after their final, incomes World Cup qualification within the course of.
6 Alessia Russo (Arsenal/England) It was a disappointing season for Arsenal, with solely the Fifa Champions Cup trophy secured, however Russo stepped up a stage for membership in addition to nation. Switching between the No 9 and No 10 roles, it was the 27-year-old’s all-round recreation that impressed essentially the most and never surprisingly was named within the PFA staff of the yr. Her goal against Iceland in England’s World Cup qualifying marketing campaign in April moved her into Lionesses’ top-10 goalscorers.
7 Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current/Malawi) The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) prime scorer and most beneficial participant for a second season operating, Chawinga scored 15 objectives as Kansas City Current completed prime within the common season, successful the NWSL Shield. The 28-year-old additionally scored 5 objectives to take Malawi – who had by no means beforehand certified – to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations ultimate, making her the joint-highest goalscorer, and serving to her nation attain their first World Cup.
8 Claudia Pina (Barcelona/Spain) It was a quiet Champions League season for Pina, with the 25-year-old scoring two objectives, neither within the knockouts. However, she greater than produced in Liga F, scoring 21 objectives and offering 5 assists. The ahead additionally scored twice in Spain’s World Cup qualifying marketing campaign, together with the fourth in opposition to England to safe their place in Brazil.
9 Patri Guijarro (Barcelona/Spain) Patri makes all the pieces tick for Barcelona, offering the platform in midfield that enables Aitana Bonmatí and, final season, Putellas to flourish. The 28-year-old was vital to the quadruple, together with enjoying a key function in retaining Lyonnes at bay within the Champions League ultimate. The midfielder, handed her membership’s captaincy after Putellas’s exit, performs a equally essential function for Spain.
10 Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride/Zambia) Banda scored eight objectives as Orlando Pride earned a fourth-place end within the NWSL final season, subsequently exiting the playoffs on the semi-final stage. Despite Zambia failing to achieve the knockout stage of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, ending third in Group C and lacking out on objectives scored in head-to-head matches, Banda had a very good match, scoring 5 objectives to complete as joint-top scorer alongside Chawinga and Cameroon’s Marie Ngah Manga. The 26-year-old was named within the Fifpro Women’s World XI.
11 Kerstin Casparij (Manchester City/Netherlands) Casparij supplied the joint-most assists within the WSL final season, seven, as City secured a second WSL title and their first in 10 years. The 26-year-old full-back additionally captained the aspect when Alex Greenwood was out injured and has change into an actual chief within the staff.
12 Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal/Spain) Caldentey needed to play out of finest place final season, a bit bit deeper in midfield, which undermined the 30-year-old’s potential to make issues occur additional ahead. However, she nonetheless delivered week-in week-out for Arsenal in addition to often impressing for Spain.
13 Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona/Norway) The 31-year-old winger scored 10 objectives and completed the joint-highest help supplier in Liga F, additionally with 10, as Barcelona received the quadruple. She additionally scored 4 occasions within the Champions League.
14 Selma Bacha (OL Lyonnes/France) Bacha was named within the Champions League staff of the season for her spectacular shows as an attacking left-back. The 25-year-old was additionally named within the Premiere Ligue staff of the season fas Lyonnes went about successful a home treble.
after e-newsletter promotion
15 Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich/Denmark) The 33-year-old striker scored a joint-second 16 objectives within the Frauen Bundesliga final season, in addition to eight within the Europe. She was named within the Champions League’s staff of the season.
16 Vivianne Miedema (Manchester City/Netherlands) Miedema’s worth to City was most evident in her absence, with the 30-year-old lacking 5 video games on the finish of final season resulting from knee surgical procedure. City received their first WSL title in 10 years, however have been far much less slick with out the Dutch ahead, who scored 10 league objectives.
17 Mapi León (London City Lionesses/Spain) Named within the Champions League staff of the season, León was a rock on the again for Barcelona. In addition to her defensive duties, the 31-year-old centre-back supplied seven assists within the league and joined London City Lionesses in July.
18 Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC/United States) Lavelle was the hero of Gotham FC’s NWSL playoff run, scoring the successful purpose within the eightieth minute of the Championship ultimate after the staff had scraped into the playoffs with an eighth-place regular-season end. The 31-year-old midfielder was named within the NWSL staff of the month in September and October/November as Gotham began their title defence impressively.
19 Lorena (Kansas City Current/Brazil) The Brazilian stored a powerful 14 clear sheets within the NWSL final season to assist Kansas City Current to the NWSL Shield. Despite the Current struggling a shock playoff exit to Gotham within the quarter-finals, the 29-year-old was named goalkeeper of the yr and within the NWSL Best XI.
20 Manaka Matsukubo (Chelsea/Japan) Matsukubo scored 11 objectives for North Carolina Courage within the NWSL, the third-most within the division final season. The 22-year-old was named the NWSL midfielder of the yr and within the NWSL Best XI and helped Japan to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup title, scoring her first overseas purpose in the course of the match. She secured a move to Chelsea in July.
And the remainder of the sector …
21 Klara Bühl (Bayern Munich/Germany)
22 Cata Coll (Barcelona/Spain)
23 Alex Greenwood (Manchester City/England)
24 Wendie Renard (OL Lyonnes/France)
25 Esmee Brugts (Barcelona/Netherlands)
26 Momoko Tanikawa (Bayern Munich/Japan)
27 Caroline Weir (OL Lyonnes/Scotland)
28 Melvine Malard (Chelsea/France)
29 Scarlett Camberos (Club América/Mexico)
30 Tessa Wullaert (Como 1907/Belgium)
Get in contact
If you’ve gotten any questions or feedback about any of our newsletters please e mail [email protected].
-
This is an extract from our free e mail about girls’s soccer, Moving the Goalposts. To get the complete version, visit this page and follow the instructions. Moving the Goalposts is delivered to your inboxes each Tuesday and Thursday.
