10 Best Female Strikers In Soccer World | 2024

Being a female striker in soccer is like being a chef at a restaurant – the pressure to deliver a great meal (or in this case, goals) is sky-high.

But it’s not just about putting the ball in the back of the net anymore – these days, strikers also need to be able to assist their teammates and link up the play.

And the women’s game is no exception. The best strikers are those who can do it all – press from the front, create chances for others, and of course, score goals themselves.

It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it

10 Best Women/Female Strikers In The World

These players are not to be messed with – they’re some of the best strikers in the soccer world and have established themselves as dominant players on the pitch.

When it comes to the function of strikers in soccer, there’s not much difference between the ladies and the men.

There might be some nuances in playing styles, but the ultimate goal is always the same – to score goals and put the ball in the back of the net.

But being a striker isn’t just about scoring anymore – in recent years, they’ve had to step up their game by providing assists and helping out with the defense.

Scoring goals in women’s soccer may be a tad easier than in the men’s game, but that doesn’t mean these female strikers aren’t a force to be reckoned with.

In fact, some of them stand out from the rest and have made a name for themselves as the best of the best.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at the cream of the crop – the top female strikers in soccer.

Alex Morgan (USA, San Diego Wave)

Before joining San Diego Wave, Alex Morgan’s future as a 33-year-old American forward was uncertain.

Despite her reputation as one of the world’s best strikers, with two World Cups and an Olympic gold medal under her belt, she took a break from the game in 2019 to have her first child.

It seemed as though her career might be on the decline, but as they say, never count out a determined striker. Morgan debuted for the US women’s national team in 2010 and has proven time and time again that she’s one of the greats.

Since returning to the game with Orlando Pride and now San Diego Wave, Morgan has scored an impressive 16 goals in 19 matches.

Her prowess on the pitch will undoubtedly be crucial if the USWNT hopes to retain their title, as she’s already recorded 119 goals in 200 games for the national team.

Morgan’s natural talent for finding the back of the net is undeniable. She has a keen sense of positioning, and impeccable timing, and can finish with either foot – all of which makes her a formidable striker.

The future may have been unclear for a moment, but with Morgan on the pitch, anything is possible.

Vivianne Miedema (Holland, Arsenal)

Technically gifted and a scoring machine on the pitch, she’s a force to be reckoned with. But even the best of us have our ups and downs, and by her standards, she had an average 2022 season.

Before the Euros, she was banging goals. With 14 goals and 8 assists during the 2021/22 season, she was right up there with Chelsea’s Sam Kerr in terms of output.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 hit her and other players during the tournament, and she just couldn’t bounce back in time to stop her home country from getting knocked out by France in the quarter-finals.

After a much-needed break, Vivianne returned to action and showed glimpses of her usual past self. But then, fate struck a cruel blow, and she ruptured her ACL a couple of months into the 2022/23 season.

And to add insult to injury, it will most likely rule her out of the upcoming World Cup in Australia this summer.

It’s a cruel end to such a promising forward’s hopes, and the Dutch will be hoping to go deep into the tournament as they did in 2019.

But we know one thing for sure – when Vivianne is back, she’ll be tearing it up again, scoring goals.

Alexandra Popp (Germany, Wolfsburg)

Alex Popp is a true football powerhouse who can excel in any position on the pitch, but it was as a striker this summer that she really lit up the field, fulfilling a long-held dream.

Popp’s rise to fame began with the 2010 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, where she helped lead the German team to victory over Nigeria in the final.

Despite being plagued by injuries and missing out on past European Championships, she made up for the lost time in 2022 by scoring in every match she played in during the tournament, including both of Germany’s goals against France in the semi-final.

Sadly, a last-minute injury kept her out of the final against England.

Popp’s physicality and prowess in the air have made her a dominant force in women’s soccer for years, leaving defenders trembling in her wake.

But what truly sets her apart is her tactical intelligence and uncanny ability to read the game, always positioning herself perfectly to score the goal when her team needs it most.

The 31-year-old is a true goalscoring machine, bringing her all-around excellence to every position she plays.

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Khadija Shaw (Jamaica, Man City)

Shaw’s arrival at Manchester City last season came with a lot of fanfare, and she has lived up to it.

The 25-year-old Jamaican scored a stunning 22 league goals in the 2020/21 season, even outdoing the likes of Marie-Antoinette Katoto.

However, City opted to gradually ease her in at the start of the 2021/22 season, starting with Ellen White instead. But since White’s retirement, Shaw otherwise known as bunny has been on a tear, showcasing the incredible goal-scoring prowess that everyone knew she had.

This season, she has produced 9goals and two assists in just ten WSL games for City.

Shaw’s ability to impact games is nothing short of exceptional. She can score with both feet and dominate physically, making her equally effective inside the box or with her hold-up and link-up play.

Her incredible pace allows her to turn defenders inside out with her jaw-dropping change of speed.

Manchester City may have landed themselves a real gem in Shaw, and her impressive list of accolades proves it. Opposing defenders must be trying to figure out how to stop her.

She’s won the FA Women’s League Cup and made it to the Women’s FA Cup final with City, and she’s also helped Jamaica to a third-place finish in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship.

In 2018, she was even named Guardian Footballer of the Year, an award that recognizes footballers who have overcome adversity, helped others, or acted with exceptional honesty.

Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France, Paris St-Germain)

Marie-Antoinette Katoto, also known as “MA10”, is PSG’s queen of goalscoring, and she’s only 23.

With a record of more than 20 goals in every full season she’s played since she was 18, she’s undoubtedly one of the best finishers on the planet.

Katoto is not only a prolific scorer but also a master of using her body to shield the ball and turn defenders into statues. She left Lyon’s defender Wendie Renard gasping for air in the Champions League semi-final with her trademark turn-and-smash-the-ball-past-the-keeper move.

With her effective play up front, Katoto led PSG to the brink of knocking out eventual champions Lyon in the 2021/22 UWCL semi-finals, and she finished the domestic season as the top goalscorer.

Unfortunately, her ACL injury in just the second game of Euro 2022 was a major setback for France, who could have gone far with her on the pitch.

Katoto’s speed and agility make her a constant threat to opposing defenses, as she can quickly accelerate and change direction, leaving defenders in her wake.

Sophia Smith (USA, Portland Thorns FC)

If you hadn’t heard of Sophia Smith before the US Women’s National Team stormed Wembley, you definitely knew her name by the end of the match.

The speedy forward wasted no time taking advantage of a high turnover and blasting a shot straight into the bottom corner, leaving England bewildered.

Smith’s talents have been simmering for a while now. Drafted as the first pick for the Portland Thorns in 2020, the 22-year-old striker has been nothing short of a sensation.

In her first season, she bagged seven goals and contributed to a goal every other game. And in 2021, she put on an absolute clinic, inspiring the Thorns to an NWSL Championship title with 14 goals and three assists in just 18 games.

She’s the NWSL MVP and the MVP of the championship final where she scored.

If you’re looking for a complete forward, Smith is that female striker. She’s a fantastic link-up player, has the nose of a poacher, and can create opportunities by dropping out wide or deep.

And did I mention her finishing ability is out of this world? She’s been smashing in goals left, right, and center all throughout 2022, and it looks like she’s set to lead the USWNT attack at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Sophia isn’t just a rising star in women’s soccer – she’s a full-blown meteor.

Ewa Pajor (Poland, Wolfsburg)

Ewa Pajor’s trophy cabinet is probably creaking with all the silverware she’s won – five Bundesliga titles, six DFB-Pokal titles, an Istria Cup, and even a UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship trophy.

The 26-year-old has also tasted success in her native Poland, winning the Ekstraliga twice and the Polish Cup thrice.

But her individual accolades are nothing but impressive. Pajor has been named UEFA Under-17 Golden Player, Bundesliga top scorer, and Football Player of the Year not once, not twice, but thrice.

With her current scoring rate of 1.4 goals per match – talk about a scoring machine, it’s safe to say she’s one of the best female strikers currently.

She may have faced some injury setbacks, but now that she’s back and fully fit, she’s proving to be an unstoppable force on the pitch.

Her impressive goal-scoring abilities are a testament to her skill and dedication, having averaged more than one goal per 90 minutes played since she was just 21 years old.

As the Champions League’s top scorer with six goals, Pajor is helping Wolfsburg dominate their group and secure their spot in the knockout rounds.

If she can stay fit for the remainder of the season, they may just have a shot at winning it all.

Die Wolfinnen may have fallen short in recent years, but with Pajor leading the charge, they’re sure to be a real threat this year.

Beth Mead (England, Arsenal)

At the UEFA Women’s Euros Championship in 2022, this Arsenal forward absolutely crushed it.

Not only did she emerge as the joint-top scorer with Germany’s Alexander Popp (six goals apiece, no big deal), but she also snagged the Player of the Tournament award, thanks in large part to her efforts, England finally brought home a major tournament victory.

The 27-year-old has been on fire this season, racking up three goals and four assists in just seven WSL matches. And it’s not just her scoring abilities that make her stand out – she’s got a work ethic that would put the Energizer Bunny to shame.

Whether she’s on or off the field, Mead is 100% committed to honing her skills and keeping her body in tip-top shape.

Mead has a real knack for putting the ball in the back of the net, as evidenced by her Golden Boot win at the Euros, as well as her title as top assist provider.

And to cap it all off, Mead was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year – the first women’s footballer to ever take home the honor. She was also runner-up for the Ballon d’Or and UEFA Player of the Year.

This isn’t the first time Mead has blown the soccer world away, either. Back in 2015, she won the WSL Golden Boot and Player of the Year award at just 20 years old – making her the youngest Golden Boot winner ever.

She led her then-club Sunderland to a promotion and WSL 2 title win, scoring an insane 77 goals in 78 games. Suffice it to say, she’s definitely one of the all-time greats to ever grace the pitch for Sunderland.

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Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria,Barcelona)

Are you surprised to see Asisat Oshoala on this list? Don’t be!

This Nigerian wonder woman is not just the best female footballer in Africa but also one of the best in the world, and her goal-scoring abilities are out of this world.

She first caught the world’s attention during the 2014 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Canada, where she was the highest goal scorer and was named the tournament’s best player.

But that was just the beginning of her incredible journey.

Asisat has smashed records left, right, and center. She’s the first African player to score a goal in a UEFA Women’s Champions League final and has helped Barcelona reach the semis three times and even the final once.

And in case you never know, she made history on 16 May 2021, becoming the first African woman to win the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona after defeating Chelsea 4–0 in the finals.

Last season, she scored a staggering 20 goals in 19 Spanish women’s La Liga games and netted 4 goals in just 5 games in the Women’s Champions League.

This season, she’s already scored 18 goals in 18 La Liga feminine matches, with three hattricks in the last four games alone.

Asisat’s lightning-fast pace and ball usage are the stuff of legend. She can outrun any defender and create scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates like it’s child’s play.

It’s no surprise she’s the first African woman to win the Primera División’s Pichichi Trophy and the first African woman to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or.

Ada Hegerberg (Norway, Lyon)

If you thought Ada Hegerberg was done after sitting out for over a year with injuries, you’re in for a rude awakening.

The inaugural women’s Ballon d’Or winner, took the field by storm after sitting on the sidelines for over a year with injuries.

This woman is a goal-scoring machine, with records and accolades to make any footballer envious. She’s the holder of the most goals in a UEFA Women’s Champions League season, and currently, the all-time highest goalscorer in the same competition.

Her awards include the 2016 UEFA Best Women’s Player in Europe, the 2017 and 2019 BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year, and the first-ever Ballon d’Or Féminin recipient in 2018.

Hegerberg’s return to the field was nothing short of scintillating, with 10 goals and 6 assists in the league, despite returning partway through the season.

She played a pivotal role in Lyon’s victory in the UWCL, with goals and assists in both the semi-finals and the final.

There were some bumps on her journey back to the top, including a tough Euros campaign and a recent injury setback that saw her miss the first half of this season.

But this 27-year-old Norwegian powerhouse is not one to back down from a challenge. She’s back on the field, and you can bet she’s got her eyes set on the World Cup in Australia.

Sam Kerr (Australia, Chelsea)

Sam Kerr is a scoring sensation that can’t be tamed. With her impressive goal-scoring abilities, she’s established herself as one of the most globally successful players of our time.

Not only has she clinched the Golden Boot in three different leagues and three different continents, but she’s also Chelsea’s leading light in their three-year domination of English women’s football.

Her talent is simply unmatched.

She’s the first footballer to notch over 20 goals in two consecutive seasons, and she’s shown us some jaw-dropping skills that leave us all in awe.

From those epic volleys against Manchester United to that outrageous chip over Manuela Zinsberger at Wembley, Kerr knows how to score in style.

But it’s not just her scoring prowess that sets her apart from the rest. Her versatility is impressive, too. She can run past defenders, peel out wide, and even drop deep if she needs to.

Whether it’s headers or long-range shots, Kerr can do it all. And while she may have the occasional slip-up in one-on-ones, she’s still pretty close to perfect.

When it comes to the top female striker in soccer, there’s no question – it’s Sam Kerr, hands down. She’s a scoring sensation with skills that leave us all in awe, and she’ll undoubtedly continue to light up the pitch with her incredible skills for years to come.