As the stature of the women’s game continues to grow, so too does the competition to be ranked among the world’s best.
Carli Lloyd, Hege Riise, Kristine Lilly and Formiga are just some of the greatest midfield names of yesteryear, but who tops the list now that it is 2024?
That’s what we’re here to find out.
As part of our Top 90 series, the 90min team have predicted who we think were the top 10 best midfielders of 2024.
In 2023, Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa truly announced herself on the global stage by claiminngthe World Cup Golden Boot in Australia and New Zealand. Despite her country’s exit in the quarter-finals, the attacking midfielder was a standout performer across the entire tournament.
That same summer, Miyazawa signed for Manchester United, where she made 17 appearances across all competitions in a 2023/24 season disrupted by a broken foot. But, still only 24, and with a year in England under her belt, Miyazawa is one of the most exciting names in the game.
At 33, Netherlands international Danielle van de Donk has long been considered one of the best midfielders in the sport. She truly made her name at Arsenal between 2015 and 2021, but she now continues to shine with European giants Lyon.
Van de Donk has played in France since the summer of 2021, and she has won a Division 1 title in every season at Lyon so far. She also won the Champions League at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, and helped the side reach the final again last term.
At international level, the midfielder has amassed over 150 caps for her country, and she’s scored over 30 goals in that time. She has previously suggested to the Dutch media that Euro 2025 in Switzerland will be her last major tournament.
Staying with the Netherlands, Jill Roord had taken her game to another level at Manchester City prior to her ACL injury last season. The 27-year-old has represented the likes of Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Wolfsburg throughout her career, but she returned to England last summer to join the Cityzens.
Roord scored nine goals in 16 appearances for the Manchester club, before her first season was agonisingly cut short through the injury. The midfielder will hope to continue that form when she returns to action during 2024/25, with all eyes on next summer’s Euros.
Dubbed the Kai Havertz of women’s football, 21-year-old attacking midfielder Jule Brand is already establishing a name for herself on the world stage. The Germany international has played for Wolfsburg since 2022 and already has over 50 senior caps for her national side.
She made her senior debut for Germany in 2021, and was an integral figure in the team’s Olympics campaign over the summer. She scored in their group stage victory over Australia, and helped them clinch a bronze medal ahead of world champions Spain.
Defensive midfielder Sam Coffey was first drafted by the Portland Thorns in the NWSL back in 2021, earning her first senior international call-up for the USWNT a year later. Even so, she was still a relatively unknown quantity outside of the home country until this summer.
New national team coach Emma Hayes selected the 25-year-old as part of her 18-player squad for the Olympics in Paris and Coffey helped them clinch a gold medal, starting all but one of their games at the tournament.
England international Ella Toone has been a consistent performer for both club and country for a number of years. She was part of the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph, scoring in the final, as well as their journey to the World Cup final in 2023.
Last season, she helped Manchester United make history as they secured their first ever major trophy. Toone scored the stunning opening goal of the final against Tottenham in a 4-0 win. The home-grown midfielder was also named new vice-captain of the Red Devils this summer.
25-year-old midfielder Victoria Pelova has increasingly shone at Arsenal ever since her arrival from Dutch side Ajax in January 2023. She scored two goals and registered six assists in 30 appearances for the Gunners last term, completing an impressive first full season in north London.
Pelova has also been a standout performer at international level, but suffered an agonising ACL injury while with the Netherlands at the start of the summer. It speaks volumes of her importance to Jonas Eidevall’s side that she will be a significant miss for the majority of the 2024/25 campaign.
Guro Reiten was once among the most underrated players in the WSL, but not anymore. As part of a star-studded Chelsea squad that has dominated domestically, the 30-year-old’s importance and contributions no longer fly under the radar.
She has been at the London club since 2019 and has won the league in every season since. Reiten has also won five domestic cup competitions in that time, while she helped Chelsea reach the Champions League final for the first time in 2021.
Reiten has also been a key player for her national team, Norway, since 2014 and has represented her country at four major tournaments so far.
Another Chelsea mainstay is Scotland international Erin Cuthbert, and she can also be credited as one of their unsung heroes. She has amassed more than 200 appearances for the club across all competitions since 2017, despite still only being 26 years of age.
She has a fantastic ability to produce moments of quality and score goals when Chelsea need it most. Cuthbert is also a regular for her national team with over 60 caps to date across all competitions and over 20 goals.
27-year-old midfielder Grace Geyoro is the captain of French side Paris Saint-Germain. She has been at the club since she was 15 years of age, and she made her senior debut back in 2014.
Geyoro became a senior in the French national team in 2017 and she now has over 80 appearances. She has represented her nation at four major tournaments, as well as an Olympic games. The PSG captain is also among the nominees for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award.
USWNT midfielder Rose Lavelle has been one of the most recognisable names in the game after her role in their World Cup triumph in 2019. She later spent one surprisingly disappointing season in the WSL in 2020/21 with Manchester City, but has otherwise been a regular in the NWSL.
Lavelle currently plays for NJ/NY Gotham, having signed a three-year deal with the club in 2024. Over the summer, she started four of the USWNT’s six games at the Olympics as they stormed to a first gold medal since 2012.
Spain attacking midfielder Jenni Hermoso has been one of the leading forces in the nation’s rise over the last few years. She played an integral role in their World Cup win in 2023, as well as their Nations League triumph earlier this year. Hermoso is Spain’s all time leading goalscorer, as well as their second most capped player of all time behind only Alexia Putellas.
The 34-year-old had also been a key player for Barcelona up until 2022 when she made the move to Mexico. In January, she signed for Tigres UANL in Liga MX Femenil.
Manchester City midfielder Yui Hasegawa is among the players nominated for this year’s Ballon d’Or, and deservedly so. She has been a consistent figure for her club since a 2022 arrival and is regarded as one of the best in her position in the WSL.
Last season, she helped Gareth Taylor’s resurgent side push eventual champions Chelsea all the way in the title race, and she was rewarded for her contributions earlier this year with another long-term contract until 2027.
The 27-year-old earned her first senior cap for Japan back in 2017 and she now has over 80 appearances under her belt. This summer, she started all four of their games at the Olympics in France as they progressed to the quarter-final stage of the competition.
England’s Georgia Stanway has had an outstanding campaign for her club, Bayern Munich, as they stormed to victory in the Frauen-Bundesliga without losing a single game. The 25-year-old moved to Germany in 2022 following the Lionesses’ triumph at the Euros, leaving Manchester City after seven successful years at the club.
Over the last few years, Stanway has established herself as a key figure for England under Sarina Wiegman alongside former club-mate Keira Walsh in midfield. Her goals and tenacity were significant at Euro 2022, so she will hope for similar success next summer at the European Championship in Switzerland.
Germany midfielder Lena Oberdorf has been widely considered one of the most promising young talents in the game. She made her real breakthrough at second club Wolfsburg in 2020 shortly after making her senior debut for the national side.
Earlier this year, Oberdorf signed for champions Bayern Munich on a deal starting in summer, but she suffered a significant knee injury before she’d even kicked a ball for the club. She missed the Olympics over the summer, and will miss a significant period of the 2024/25 campaign.
21-year-old Melchie Dumornay has been making headlines for years already. She is rightfully considered one of the most promising talents of her generation and certainly caught the eye for Haiti at the World Cup last year.
Last season was her first for French giants Lyon, and she helped them claim another league title, as well as progress all the way to the Champions League final.
Patri Guijarro has been at Barcelona since 2015, having initially joined as a 17-year-old. Over the last eight years, she has established herself as one of the best midfielders in the world, despite a self-imposed two-year exile from the Spain national team.
Spain’s loss has been Barcelona’s gain as she has helped guide her club to five league titles, as well as three Champions Leagues. Patri returned to the national team fold earlier this year and will hope to play a significant role in any potential success at the next Euros in 2025.
USWNT star Lindsey Horan remains a key player for both club and country. She captained the States to Olympic gold earlier this summer, while she also helped Lyon claim another league title and reach another Champions League final last season.
Horan has been at Lyon since 2022, while she previously represented Portland Thorns and Paris Saint-Germain. With Lyon, she has won three league titles overall, plus one Champions League trophy.
England’s Keira Walsh is among the top five most expensive transfers of all time in the women’s game following her big money move from Manchester City to Barcelona in 2022. Over the last two years, she has formed fantastic partnerships with Aitana Bonmati and Patri in the Catalan midfield as they’ve become an unstoppable force on the European stage.
She is, without a doubt, one of England’s most important players under Sarina Wiegman as she continues to go from strength to strength. Walsh had been linked with a return to England this summer, but it’s no surprise the Barcelona bosses have made it clear she is not for sale.
Last year’s Ballon d’Or winner, and the favourite to win it again in 2024. Aitana Bonmati is the world’s best in the middle of the park and nobody really comes that close.
The 26-year-old is a generational talent and has been at the heart of Spain and Barcelona’s success over the last few years, surpassing Alexia Putellas, now 30. She is a joy to watch on the pitch, but also a vocal force off it as she continues to fight for better conditions for players in Liga F.
