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15 Best Players of French Soccer Women Team

The French women’s national team is exploding with talent – both in the past decades and in recent years. Given the abundance of quality they have at their disposal, France  enter the Women’s World Cup this summer as one of the favorites to win the championship. They are among the 32 teams that will be participating. They are drawn in group F alongside Jamaica and Brazil. However, according to latest reports Wendie Renard, the captain, said she would not be available for selection barely five months before the event begins in Australia and New Zealand. Star players Marie Antoinette-Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani quickly followed suit.

In a turn of events, the French Football Federation (FFF) and head coach Corinne Diacre were fired on March 9 as a result of their actions raising major concerns about the FFF. In addition, it became France the third highest-ranked country in FIFA’s top seven to be involved in a highly publicized conflict between the players’ union and the federation during a World Cup year, after Spain and Canada, who are both vying for increased financing.

On a positive side, things seem to be moving ahead now that Herve Renard, the former head coach of the Saudi Arabian men’s national team, has taken over. Will France be able to field the team they desire at the 2023 Women’s World Cup? Let’s check out the 15 Best players of French Soccer Women Team.

1. Wendie Renard

Wendie Renard January 28, 2018. , , via Wikimedia Commons

On July 20, 1990, Wendie Thérèse Renard, a professional football player for Lyon of Division 1 Feminine and the France national team, was born in France. She remains one of the most renowned players in women’s club football. She holds the record with eight European Cup victories and 14 French league titles. In 2019, the New York Times described her as an “institution” at Lyon, the most prosperous club in European women’s football.

The best player in French football is Renard. Renard has played her soccer for only one team throughout her career, unlike many other players in the world now and on this list. She has featured for Lyon since 2006, making 213 games and scored 66 goals – all while playing defense. She has played 120 times and scored 23 goals for France’s national team since 2011, frequently in pivotal games that have helped her side advance to the next stage. As if that weren’t amazing enough. She has threatened to boycott this prestigious tournament and efforts are underway to convince her to reside her position, as the French team needs her badly.

2. Melvine Malard

Melvine Malard (Olympique Lyon, 28) celebrates her gold medal; cheers, celebration. , , via Wikimedia Commons

Melvine Marie Ericka Malard was born on June 28, 2000 in France. She plays forward for Lyon in Division 1 Feminine and for Team France. On the island of Reunion, where she was born, Malard started playing football with Saint-Denis FC. She started out with the Olympique Lyonnais in 2014, and in July 2017, the European champions extended an offer to sign her to their professional team. To obtain some playing experience, she was loaned to FC Fleury 91 for the 2019–20 campaign, but it didn’t stop her from going back to Lyon for the Uefa Champions League Final and competing in the victory as a replacement. Mallard made her national team debut for France on September 18, 2020, in a 2-0 win against Serbia. She was recognized by UEFA as one of the ten most promising young players in Europe in January 2020. She is looking forward to show her skills in the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 to be held between 20^th July, 2023, and 20^th August, 2023.

3. Laura Georges

Laura Georges. , , via Wikimedia Commons

Since 2001, Laura, a modern-day French football player, has made 188 appearances for Bayern Munich in Germany and the French national team. After joining the elite Paris Saint-Germain in 2003, she began her professional career. After six years with Olympique Lyon, she then played four years there before moving to Bayern in 2018.

She was a gifted player from an early age and has continued to play a significant role in the team. She was given her first national team cap when she was 17 years old. Her abilities will be crucial to France’s women’s national football team’s bid to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

4. Sarah Bouhaddi

Sarah Bouhaddi. Pierre-Yves Beaudouin / 

Sarah is a current French footballer who plays  as a goalkeeper for Lyon in Division 1 Feminine and a goalkeeper of the French national team. Playing the majority of her career for Lyon, she has also been a member of CNFE Clairefontaine, Toulouse, and Juvisy since her pro career began in 2003.

First being in the squad for the national team in 2004, she has made 149 appearances, helping the team to win the SheBelieves Cup in 2017. It is a great honor for this lad to be selected to travel to Australia for the 2023 Women’s Football World Cup.

In women’s football, Sarah Bouhaddi is one of the most competent starting goalkeepers. She began modestly, assisting France win a gold and silver at the UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship in 2003 and 2005, respectively, when she was 17 years old. She quickly gained recognition as one of women’s football’s best goalkeeper prospects, which is not unexpected. It would be an understatement to say that the 34-year-old has her fair share of detractors. Fan criticism is nothing new for Bouhaddi. She has been referred to as the “most entertaining goalkeeper for the women’s national team” to watch. In more direct terms, her critics have asserted that she is, at most, “high school junior varsity quality”. Even when Bouhaddi is praised, it is common for someone to note on how prone to error she is.

Then why is Bouhaddi criticized so frequently? Her playing style is the subject of the most of the criticism she encounters. Modern goalkeepers should be dynamic shot-stoppers who like playing the ball with their feet, and Bouhaddi is the epitome of that. In this sense, Bouhaddi frequently positions herself inside her box to receive passes from pressed teammates, and it’s not unusual to see her drop the ball after a grab to play a ground pass or take an additional touch. She’s more prone to make high-profile mistakes than the typical women’s goalkeeper since she’s so obsessive about becoming a ball-playing, sweeper ‘keeper. Because of this, even if she makes a mistake that doesn’t lead to a goal, she is more likely to receive criticism for it.

5.  Valerie Gauvin

Valerie is a French footballer who plays for Everton in the FA Women’s Super League, the highest professional league in England, and the French national team. First called up to the national team in 2015, Valerie is a young talent who has already made 30 appearances for her country.

Making 90 appearances for her old club team Montpellier, she made the move to the English league in 2020 and is hoping to become a starter for the club. She is hoping to participate in the upcoming Women’s World Cup. Gauvin’s outstanding skill, link-up play, and aerial prowess left a lasting impression. She would have undoubtedly scored more goals in 2020–21, but a muscular ailment caused her to play with less frequency.

6. Amandine Henry

Amandine Henry (Olympique Lyonnais)., , via Wikimedia Commons

The name, Amandine Henry, comes to mind for many people when they think about French women’s football. Henry is a French footballer who competes for Olympique Lyon and the French national team. Henry has made 92 appearances for France since 2009. She has competed for France’s women’s squad in the 2015 and 2019 Football World Cup teams because to her exceptional ability.

Amandine signed for Henin Beaumont at the age of 15, beginning her professional career in 2004. She joined Lyon, the most successful club side in her nation, after three seasons. Before electing to travel to the US to play for the Portland Thorns, where she made 33 games in a single season, she made 122 appearances for Lyon.

She has received awards from the FIFA Women’s World Cup All-Star Team (2015), the FIFA Women’s World Cup Silver Ball (2015), the FIFA FIFPro World XI (2015), and the IFFHS Women’s World Team (2018) and 2019 in the Individual area.

7.  Eugénie Anne Claudine Le Sommer

Eugénie Anne Claudine Le Sommer. , , via Wikimedia Commons

French professional footballer Eugénie Anne Claudine Le Sommer (born 18 May 1989) plays forward for French club Lyon and the France national team. She typically performs as a left winger and creative attacking midfielder, although she has also represented her nation as a second striker.

Le Sommer is one of the most accomplished players in women’s club football today and is the only player of any gender to have scored more goals for France. She is one of only three players who have won a record eight European Cups with Lyon. She has won 10 French domestic championships.

In addition to scoring goals, Eugenie Le Sommer also provides assists for her team, which has been essential for Lyon’s strategy. When playing against powerful opponents, she frequently drops into midfield to receive the ball outside the box, set up possibilities for her teammates, or advance and shoot.

Le Sommer has shown to be fairly productive in both scenarios, scoring multiple goals from beyond the box throughout her career and dishing out a sizable amount of assists from similar circumstances. She is mostly a striker, but she has also played as a number 10 and off the left flank, demonstrating another important quality: the versatility to play in a range of offensive positions.

Her heat maps demonstrate how she moves a lot in the final third to help her midfield teammates find passing lanes and perplex opposing defenders. After passing and running towards the box to receive the ball again in those areas, she either continues to advance by dribbling past defenders or continues to pass and run towards the box.

8. Sakina Karchaoui

Sakina Karchaoui. , , via Wikimedia Commons

On January 26, 1996, Sakina Karchaoui was born in France. She is a left defender for Division 1 Feminine club Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team. She is a professional soccer player with exceptional talent who significantly influenced women’s football. She has established a name for herself in the sport on a national and international level as a result of her exceptional talent, adaptability, and perseverance.

Karchaoui’s biggest strengths at Montpellier were her developing attacking dribbling abilities. The left-back plays aggressively and fast in defense. Karchaoui plays aggressively, facilitating efficient out-of-possession pressing techniques.

9. Marie-Antoinette Oda Katoto

Marie-Antoinette Oda Katoto. Pierre-Yves Beaudouin / 

Marie-Antoinette Oda Katoto ([kato’to]), a French professional football player, was born on November 1st, 1998. She is a striker for both the France national team and Division 1 Feminine club Paris Saint-Germain. After completing the Paris Saint-Germain development system, she became the organization’s top goal scorer at age 23, surpassing all prior scorers.

The epitome of the contemporary footballer is this silent, tall woman who placed third in the top scorer category last season and was voted by her colleagues as the best player in the competition. Marie-Antoinette Katoto is endowed with a talent that has worried many defenses since the beginning of her career. She is an explosive sprinter, a dynamic dribbler, and a striker with a silky finish.

10. Sandrine Soubeyrand

Sandrine Soubeyrand. Pierre-Yves Beaudouin / 

Sandrine is a former French footballer and present-day coach of the France women’s U-17 national team. During her prolific career, she played as a midfielder for the French national team, FC Felines Saint-Cyr, Caluire SC, and Juvisy. Her professional career began at FC Felines, her childhood club, and eventually continued to Caluire. Her big move and breakthrough, however, would come with her move to Juvisy, a National 1A club in Essonne. She immediately helped the club finish in 3rd place and in 2nd place during her inaugural two seasons, while also making her European debut at the UEFA Women’s Cup in 2003. She mostly played for Juvisy from 2000 to 2014 and has the most national team appearances for France (198). The club’s heart and soul, a former midfielder, scored 43 goals in 288 games for the Essonne-based team.

The former French team captain celebrated her 143rd cap at the France-Estonia game on October 28, 2008, surpassing Lilian Thuram’s previous record. She received the Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite insignia on January 29, 2013, in Evry from the current Minister of Sport, Madame Fourneyron. Once Noel Le Graet was elected, he immediately hired Sandrine Soubeyrand to join the National Technical Directorate of the French Football Federation to advance women’s football in France.

11. Camille Abily

Camille Abily. , , via Wikimedia Commons

Camille is a former French footballer who played for Lyon in Division 1 Feminine in France and the French national team. Primarily an attacking midfielder with the propensity to score goals and provide assists, Camille was awarded the National Union of Professional Footballers Female Player of the Year – twice. She is currently a football manager.

Having played for numerous club teams throughout her career from 2000-2018, she played the most matches for Olympique Lyonnais, where she made 222 appearances and scored 144 goals. For the French national team, she was first called up in 2001 and continued to be on the team for the following 16 years, making 183 appearances.

12. Sonia Bompastor

Sonia is a former French footballer who played for Montpellier, Lyon, Washington Freedom in the USA, Paris Saint-Germain, and Lyon. She was a staple team member of the French national team, having earned her first call up in 2000 and staying on the squad until 2013, earning 158 caps and scoring 18 goals. She was a member of the squad that participated in the 2001, 2005, and 2009 UEFA Women’s Championship tournaments, along with the team rostered for the 2003 and 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

13. Louisa Cadamuro

Louisa Cadamuro. , , via Wikimedia Commons

Former French professional footballer Louisa made 173 appearances with Lyon, where she played the majority of her games and scored 64 goals. She played for France for 11 years, making 145 appearances and scored 36 goals, beginning with her debut in 2005. Louisa was a talented and effective attacking midfielder who enjoyed creating spectacular moves. She was renowned for playing possession-based soccer with excellent passing technique.

14. Gaetane Thiney

French football player Gaetane Iza Laure Thiney competes for both the French national team and Paris FC in Division 1 Feminine. Thiney, who plays as a midfielder most of the time for Paris FC, is also an effective striker, hitting 134 goals in just 210 games. When Thiney joined Olympique Saint-Memmie in 2000, she played there for six years and scored 19 goals in 102 games while doing so. Thiney went to Paris FC in 2008 following a three-year tenure with US Compiegne Oise, where she has remained ever since. Thiney gained her first call-up to the French national team when she was on the roster for US Compiegne. Thiney has made 163 appearances and scored 58 goals for her nation’s team, and her statistics are outstanding.

15. Kadidiatou Diani

Kadidiatou Diani, a native of the Paris region, made her club debut in Ivry-sur-Seine. Since joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, the striker has flourished and matured greatly, especially after more than 150 appearances in Rouge et Bleu. The prolific goal scorer, who was a World Cup 2019 surprise, made the most of the chance to display her skill on the pitch.

She has proven to be Paris Saint-Germain’s star player of the future and has made big contributions to the French team. In the summer of 2020, she committed to a two-year contract extension. She is one of the most talented players in women’s football thanks to her strength, dribbling skills, enthusiasm, and perseverance.