The Guardian has unveiled its definitive list of the 100 best female footballers in the world for 2025. And what's fascinating about this year's selection is how each judge voted - with Aitana Bonmatí taking the top spot.
In total, 127 experts from around the globe cast their votes to create the list, including players, coaches, and journalists. The judges were asked to choose their 40 favorites, ranking them in order of preference. Each player was awarded points based on their ranking, with the number one choice getting a whopping 40 points, while the fortieth choice received just one point.
To ensure transparency and fairness, individual voting records have been anonymized, with judges identified only by category and a randomly assigned number. This means that voters' preferences are kept private, allowing them to express their opinions freely without fear of bias or retribution.
What's more interesting than the list itself is how close the competition was. For instance, Chloe Kelly finished 11th, while Caroline Graham Hansen took the 12th spot - a mere one point difference between the two. Meanwhile, Lia Wälti, who narrowly missed out on making the cut at 101st place.
The full breakdown of scores can be viewed online, where you can see the exact points that separated each player and how many judges voted for their favorite. This year's list also includes a unique feature - allowing fans to search for players who received votes this year, providing a comprehensive archive of past selections.
In total, 127 experts from around the globe cast their votes to create the list, including players, coaches, and journalists. The judges were asked to choose their 40 favorites, ranking them in order of preference. Each player was awarded points based on their ranking, with the number one choice getting a whopping 40 points, while the fortieth choice received just one point.
To ensure transparency and fairness, individual voting records have been anonymized, with judges identified only by category and a randomly assigned number. This means that voters' preferences are kept private, allowing them to express their opinions freely without fear of bias or retribution.
What's more interesting than the list itself is how close the competition was. For instance, Chloe Kelly finished 11th, while Caroline Graham Hansen took the 12th spot - a mere one point difference between the two. Meanwhile, Lia Wälti, who narrowly missed out on making the cut at 101st place.
The full breakdown of scores can be viewed online, where you can see the exact points that separated each player and how many judges voted for their favorite. This year's list also includes a unique feature - allowing fans to search for players who received votes this year, providing a comprehensive archive of past selections.
I mean, what's with the voting system? 40 points for first place? That feels kinda arbitrary... like they just picked a number out of thin air 
. And why can't we see the actual votes cast by each judge? Like, what if someone was really biased towards Aitana Bonmatí and totally steamrolled everyone else in their category? 
Transparency is supposed to be key here, but instead they just anonymized everything and gave us a bunch of random numbers... pretty frustrating, tbh 
like, what even is the criteria for making this list?! and the fact that fans get to search for past votes is a total joke 
, who needs all that extra info when you already know your faves are gonna be on the list anyway...
! I mean, don't get me wrong, she's an amazing player and all, but some people might be thinking, "Wait, what about Sam Kerr or Alexia Putellas?" Those girls are killing it on the pitch too! 
Anyway, it's cool that they included a feature for fans to search past selections - I mean, you can never have too much info, right? 
And kudos to The Guardian for keeping the judges' voting records anonymous, that's like super fair and all 
i mean, Chloe Kelly & Caroline Graham Hansen were both so close, only 1 point diffrence between them? that's wild 
& can we pls talk about the archive of past selections tho? that's gonna be SO useful for fans like me who wanna see how players have improved over time 
another talented female footballer takes top spot... but what about the lack of representation from under-25s? I mean, Aitana Bonmatí is awesome and all, but we're not seeing enough fresh faces in this list 
. And don't even get me started on how narrow the gap was between 11th and 12th place... what's wrong with having more diverse rankings? 
I mean, who doesn't love a good list of the best female footballers? It's not like anyone has better things to do than sit around and vote on a bunch of women playing soccer... 
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. I mean, have you seen Chloe Kelly's skills on the pitch? She's a total game-changer 
️! And what about Caroline Graham Hansen? One point difference between her and Kelly? That's crazy 
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. And it makes me wonder, who exactly cast those votes and what their criteria were? Were they looking for dominance or depth in the team? The lack of transparency is what I find suspicious 
. It's intriguing to note how close the competition was, particularly between Chloe Kelly and Caroline Graham Hansen, whose difference of just one point speaks to the depth of talent in women's football 
. It's also refreshing to see fans able to access this year's scores and past selections, providing a comprehensive archive for enthusiasts to peruse 
The fact that Chloe Kelly and Caroline Graham Hansen were so close though shows how competitive it is out there - I mean, I'd rather have 11 or 12th place than be stuck in the dregs of the list 
. And that archiving feature? Love it, now we can go down memory lane and relive all the drama 
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It just goes to show that the competition was fierce. I'm also loving the transparency aspect of this list - it's refreshing to see experts being held accountable for their opinions.
This list is not just a celebration of talented athletes, but also a reflection of how passionate and engaged the football community is. Kudos to The Guardian for doing this right 
It just goes to show that football is a game of inches... or in this case, points 
i mean can you blame anyone for choosing her? she's been on fire with Barcelona and Spain 
what's crazy is how close some of these spots were tho... like Chloe Kelly at 11th and Caroline Graham Hansen right behind her at 12th! it's like they all have this amazing talent and skill. the fact that fans can search for players who received votes this year is also super cool 
i love how The Guardian is making everything so transparent and fair too 
! It's so cool to see Aitana Bonmatí at the top spot - she's been killing it on the field lately 
. I'm also stoked that fans can now search for players who got votes last year - it's like a time capsule of female football history 