Three Top WSL Players

As Women’s Super League celebrates ten years since its very first season, we reflect on three of WSL’s biggest stars produced across the last decade.

In a decade which has seen ten titles (including 2017 Spring Series) shared out between four teams, 2,314 goals scored and 16 different teams participate in WSL1, we take a look at three of the top players to have played in the WSL across the decade.

 

Steph Houghton (Arsenal, 2010-13, Manchester City, 2014-Present)

Having been part of the WSL since its very beginning, Steph Houghton has been a stand-out star of the competition’s evolution and enjoyed a successful start to the WSL era in helping Arsenal to the first two WSL titles.

After missing out on the 2013 crown with the Gunners, Houghton proceeded to join the newly formed Manchester City Women Team for 2014 where she has since gone on to achieve seven titles in all competitions as City fast became one of WSL’s star clubs.

It is also worth noting that Houghton has not just been a great ambassadorial playing figure for WSL but also as part of Women’s Football rise in the last decade too, with 12 of her 13 international goals for England coming after the WSL’s formation.

You therefore cannot deny that Houghton is a worthy stand-out star of the WSL who has just grown throughout the decade in not just defensive quality but leadership on and off the pitch just like the WSL has done in popularity.

 

Lucy Bronze (Everton, 2010-12, Liverpool, 2012-14, Manchester City 2014-17 & 2020-Present 

Without any doubt, Lucy Bronze is the WSL’s greatest ever success story in which she began life in the league with Everton, before hopping across Stanley Park to help Merseyside rivals – Liverpool to the 2013 & 14 titles.

At the end of 2014, Bronze moved across the M62 to join a progressive team in Man City, who she has helped to four titles across two spells although it was her departure to join Lyon which underlined her top ability as a full-back.

Since moving to Lyon, Bronze continued to develop further and returned to City last Autumn considered amongst the world’s greatest players as evidenced by being the first WSL player to be crowned as FIFA’s Best Women’s Player in December.

Add in Bronze’s versatility across defence and midfield plus success throughout her WSL career, you will be hard pressed to not have reason to name her amongst the league’s top three players.

 

Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal, 2017-Present)

With 59 goals in 63 WSL appearances, there has been no foreign star who has had more impact on the league than Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema.

Since enjoying a lukewarm rookie 2017-18 season with only four goals, Miedema has simply enjoyed an extraordinary rise with 38 goals between 2018-20 seasons and has already netted 17 goals this season to put herself on track for a third consecutive WSL Golden Boot.

We must also note that Miedema is only 24 years-old and is also a solid play maker when not scoring goals, with 25 assists in her four seasons of WSL football with an average goals to assist ratio of 2.36 across all four seasons in the WSL.

Now if Miedema sticks with the WSL throughout their second decade as popularity and coverage continues to rise, I feel that she could certainly be one to watch given her already highly revered stature within the game amongst fans.