Here are 5 of The Greats to watch at the Women's World Cup with just weeks remaining before the opening whistle blows at Eden Park in New Zealand.
5. Wendie Renard
Country: France
Club: Olympique Lyonnais
Greatness is not just what you do on the pitch, it is also about the effect you have on the people around you. For two different spells since 2013, Lyon center-back Wendie Renard has worn the captain's armband for France. When Renard speaks, everyone listens.
Back in February, the team's leader took a stand against the current system of the French federation, announcing that she will be stepping away from football due to mental health reasons. If Corinne Diacre was going to be the French manager going forward, Renard wanted no part in her national team's future. Many of her teammates followed in her footsteps. Just under a month after she made a public statement of her retirement, former Saudi Arabia men's head coach Herve Renard was promoted to the position.
With a new leader on the sideline, Renard returned to the selection pool. With 34 goals in 144 caps for her country, the center-back is in the top 10 for most goals and appearances on the French women's national team. France's No. 3 will be one of just two players over the age of 32 on the team this summer along with her club teammate Eugénie Le Sommer.
As a 6-foot-3 center-back, Renard still managed to net four goals in the 2019 World Cup in her home country. With her strength, and composure on the ball combined with her threat to find the back of the net on set pieces, the French center-back will be key to Les Bleues' success once again. She is a born winner, and this World Cup is a chance to lead her nation out of the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011.
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4. Alex Morgan
Country: United States
Club: San Diego Wave
Only five players in the history of the USWNT have 120 or more goals. Alex Morgan is one of them. The United States' No. 13 has played a part in her nation's success since 2010, appearing in three World Cups, and three Olympics. Along with her teammates Megan Rapinoe, and defender Kelley O'Hara, Morgan will be representing the Stars and Stripes for a fourth time on the world stage.
Unlike the other two that have the same amount of experience as her, Morgan is going to be asked to do a lot more. With Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario missing out, the San Diego Wave striker along with Sophia Smith is going to have to lead this U.S. team in goal scoring. For a player that is a key part of what her club side is currently doing, the defending Silver Boot winner is well-equipped to carry the load. Morgan has done it longer than anyone on the team. The Wave striker knows what pressure is, and how to cope with it on a large scale.
As one of just 10 players in the history of the USWNT with over 205 caps, Morgan will be at the center of it all both on and off the pitch. Smith brings the young explosiveness that is going to be must-watch TV, but Morgan has done it all before. Her holdup play and distribution will be just as important if not more than her finishing. It may still be the beginning of the passing of the torch, but Morgan is still very much a main character on this team.
3. Marta
Country: Brazil
Club: Orlando Pride
The 37-year-old Orlando Pride forward exudes greatness. No player has found the back of the net more frequently in the World Cup than Marta. With 17 goals in five World Cups, Brazil's No. 10 has scored three more goals than Birgit Prinz, and Abby Wambach. Since 2003, nobody has worn the Brazilian colors with more pride than Marta.
With seven goals and five assists in the 2007 World Cup, Brazil's No. 10 nearly led her nation to a world title, falling just short in the final. During that tournament, she scored one of the greatest goals in the history of the tournament in against the United States, making a fool of Tina Ellertson on the wing.
The former Rosengård forward became the first player in 2021 to score in five consecutive Olympic Games. The Brazilian began her career in 2000, and 23 years later she is still going strong for both club and country. She is a sheer warrior who recently battled back at 36 years of age from a torn ACL to sign a two-year extension with Orlando. Her play-making abilities from the flanks and unmatched leadership will be vital to the success of the Brazilians down under.
The six-time FIFA World Player of the Year has made over 170 appearances for her home country while finding the back of the net 115 times. Marta has slowly worked her way back from her ACL in club play with the Pride, playing in four 90-minute matches across all competitions.
Every legendary career comes to an end at some point. This is the last time the world will have a chance to see Marta on a stage as large as the World Cup. Legends like Brazil's No. 10 don't come around every day. She deserves nothing less than to go out on a positive note whether that is winning the World Cup or not.
2. Alexia Putellas
Country: Spain
Club: FC Barcelona
When it comes to accolades and individual awards, few can match Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas in the women's game. The current 29-year-old has won nearly every honor possible on the world stage including being the main piece to two Champions League-winning sides. When she tore her ACL in training ahead of the Euros in England last summer, the entire football world felt like there was a gaping hole in it.
After months of rehab, Putellas made it back into the Barcelona team for the end of its campaign. Considering the turmoil for the Spanish national team at the moment, this nation needs someone to take charge on the pitch. The back-to-back Best FIFA Women's Player is more than capable of doing that. Many will question her fitness levels heading into the tournament. Putellas has not played a full 90-minute match since July of last year. Spain's No. 14 oozes quality.
Whether it is threading a pass between the lines, or her ability to create space in the final third, there was a reason why Putellas is arguably the best female football player on the planet right now. She has 27 goals in 100 appearances for her nation to date, becoming the first Spanish women's player with 100 or more caps in July 2022 against Italy. The football world has missed Putellas, and after a significant absence, Spain's superstar is back with the aim of leading her side to a much better showing than a year ago.
1. Sam Kerr
Country: Australia
Club: Chelsea
Donning the captain's armband in her home country at the World Cup, global superstar, Sam Kerr is going to have a lot of the attention pointed her way. The Chelsea striker is coming off of another sensational season in west London where she scored 29 goals across all competitions for the second straight campaign.
When the lights shine the brightest, Kerr is consistently the one to come through in the clutch. Australia is going to need that. The nation has never made it past the quarterfinals. A fourth-place finish in the 2020 Olympic Games behind six goals by Kerr and a victory over England a few months ago should ignite all the confidence the Matildas would need to contend. Australia's No. 20 finished just behind the leaders in goals during the 2019 World Cup, ending the tournament with five in far fewer contests played.
With 62 goals internationally, Kerr is the leading goal-scorer in Australia's history for both the men's and women's teams. Chelsea's No. 20 is a natural goal scorer. All she needs is a good service in behind or a solid cross from the flank, and her instincts take over. The variety of goals she scores is what is most impressive. Off her head, with her left boot, or from the penalty spot, No. 20 is dangerous the second she steps into the opponent's half of the pitch.
Kerr is Australian football. It is a proud moment in her country's history to be able to host a tournament like the World Cup. This is not the host country of the 2022 Men's World Cup who are just content to be there. With the prowess in the attacking third of Kerr, Australia is aiming to compete against the European and North American powerhouses.
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