10 players to watch out for at Women’s Euro 2022

Rachel Furness – Northern Ireland

This is Northern Ireland’s first major tournament and their qualification for it was spearheaded by their all-time top goal scorer Furness.

The 34-year-old has long been her country’s best and most high-profile player and while not much is expected of her country, if anything of note does happen you can bet the Liverpool midfielder will be at the heart of it.

Ada Hegerberg – Norway

Hegerberg’s trophy cabinet speaks for itself: Seven French League titles, six Champions Leagues, five French Cups and the inaugural Ballon d’Or in 2018.

The Lyon striker stepped down from international duty in 2017 in protest against the disrespect she saw towards the women’s team in Norway, but she retuned in March much to the delight of her teammates (and the dismay of her opponents).

Pernille Harder – Denmark

The most expensive female player in the world, having Harder in your team guarantees success, with the attacking midfielder winning the league in every season she has played since 2016, for Linköping, Wolfsburg and currently Chelsea.

The 29-year-old finished runner-up to Hegerberg in the Ballon d’Or but has twice claimed the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year Award and the Denmark captain is her country’s all-time top goalscorer.

Lena Oberdorf – Germany

Oberdorf was called up for the last World Cup aged just 17, and now at 20 she is already her country’s best player, no small feat given that Germany have a staggering eight Euros titles to their name.

The versatile midfielder can also play at centre-back and left-back, and is known for her immaculate passing, tough tackling and leadership on the pitch, with many tipping the Wolfsburg star to become the best in the world in the next few years.

Alexia Putellas – Spain

Spain go into Euro 2022 as the favourites and current Ballon d’Or holder Putellas is one of many standout players in their squad.

The Barcelona midfielder has been at the heart of her club and country’s rapid rise to the top of the football pyramid, and the 28-year-old arrives in England in the best form of her career, having just been named Champions League Player of the Season after finishing as the competition’s top goal scorer.

Vivianne Miedema – Netherlands

Miedema’s ability to find the back of the net is frightening, with the Arsenal striker being not only the all-time top goal scorer for the Women’s Super League but also for the Netherlands, with a scarcely believable 94 goals in 111 caps.

The 25-year-old was part of the Dutch team that won the last Euros in 2017 and finished runner-up to the USA in the 2019 World Cup.

Stina Blackstenius – Sweden

While perhaps not as prolific as other strikers on this list, Blackstenius has a good habit of scoring at major tournaments, including five goals at last summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The 26-year-old joined Arsenal in January and after finishing third at the last World Cup and picking up silver medals at the last two Olympics, she’ll be hoping to finally get her hands on the main prize.

Wendie Renard – France

France have one of the most exciting yet combustible squads in the history of the game and as such, captain Renard will play a big role in determining the fate of Les Bleues’ tournament.