After the success of VAVEL's Top 50 Women's Footballers of the Year list, there has been another addition to the debate for who has shone most in 2015. There are, of course, some less high-profile players who rose to stardom and didn't make that cut, so find themselves here - on VAVEL UK's Biggest breakthroughs in Women's Football 2015.
The criteria on which this list is based is not age related. The only requirement was that this has been the year, that the player has gone to a new level. A breakthrough can be many things; it can be a young payer that has just broken onto the scene, but still has better years ahead of her.
It can be someone who has been prominent in her own country for some time, but has now gained more international recognition. It can also be a player that has shown her abilities for a number of years, but has added to that and who has had their best year to date.
There must be a big thanks to all of those who contributed to the list. There are so many women’s football leagues that makes every single one impossible to follow in great detail, and so this compilation would not have been possible without those who watch some of the divisions that are harder to follow.
Part one can be found here, and part two can be found here.
So without further ado, here are the next 12 randomly selected players who have made their breakthrough this year:
Stina Blackstenius (Linköpings FC, Sweden)
Blackstenius has been considered a huge talent for a few years now, but this year she really showed why that label is warranted. She won the U19 European championship with Sweden, and helped her team with an impressive six goals – two of those coming in the semi-final against Germany, and two in the final against Spain. She is often described as a strong and physical forward, but she is much more than that. She is technical and has an awareness not many 19-year-old players have.
She has been a regular starter at her club team Linköping for a few years, and her DamAllsvenskan breakthrough came two years ago. She also made her debut with the senior national team. This year Blackstenius truly showed her great potential, and there is, undoubtedly, much more to come from her. She won the prestigious award ‘Breakthrough of the year’ at the 2015 fotbollsgalan, which is a Swedish football show.
Gaëlle Enganamouit (Eskilstuna United DFF/FC Rosengård (from 2016), Cameroon)
Enganamouit has had an incredible year. The Cameroonian forward scored a hat-trick in the World Cup group stage game against Ecuador, and in every game she played she was a nuisance for the opposing team's defenders. While her energetic display at the World Cup made her known internationally, she has also excelled at club level.
She scored 18 goals in the DamAllsvenskan, making her the top scorer in a league known for having strong forwards. Her team, Eskilstuna, surprised many by being in with a shot of the title up until the very last game day, where they lost to the eventual winners from Rosengård. Rosengård are also the club who will be benefitting from Enganamouit in the future, as she has signed on to play for them for the next two years.
Larissa Crummer (Brisbane Roar/Melbourne City, Australia)
It has been an outstanding year for the Australian. She debuted for the Matildas in March of 2015, scoring the only goal to earn them a victory against the Netherlands. She also became the youngest Australian player at the World Cup and got herself two caps.
She also made an Asian championship appearance with the young Matildas and has just won the 2015/2016 W-League Premier’s plate with Melbourne City. She has also received individual honours, as she is the 2015 October nominee for Westfield W-League NAB Young Footballer of the Year award.
Francisca Ordega (Washington Spirit, Nigeria)
The Nigerian Washington Spirit player was one of the standout players for the Super Falcons at the World Cup. While they were eliminated at the group stage, Ordega showed good things during their matches against strong nations such as USA, Sweden and Australia.
With her NWSL team she qualified for the playoffs, and helped her team get there with three goals, despite being away for part of the season due to the World Cup. The bright star of Washington’s season was Crystal Dunn, but Ordega also showed that she was an important part of the squad.
Amel Majri (Olympique Lyonnais, France)
This French midfielder and left-back has been in and around the strong Lyon team for several years, but the 2014/2015 season was the season she really came up the ranks and became one of the teams most consistent performers.
Originally, she was a midfielder, but she has played left back for large parts of 2015, both for Lyon and for the national team. She has cemented herself in a strong Lyon team, gotten plenty of minutes for France and she has been one of the best wing-backs in the qorld in 2015; all at the age of 22. The future is bright for Majri.
Crystal Dunn (Washington Spirit, USA)
Dunn’s 2015 has been nothing short of incredible. Despite having to overcome being cut from the final World Cup squad, no one can say she has had a bad year. With 15 goals, an NWSL Golden Boot, five NWSL player of the week awards, one NWSL player of the month award, a place on the NWSL best XI and an NWSL MVP award; it’s obvious she has been the standout star of the NWSL.
In only her second season in the league, that is impressive. Most disagreed with the decision to not include Dunn in USA’s world cup squad, but it did allow for her to shine in the NWSL and really show what she is capable off. She was later added to USA’s victory tour squad and again put in strong performances.
Svenja Huth (1. FFC Frankfurt/Turbine Potsdam, Germany)
After spending eight years with Frankfurt, she joined Turbine Potsdam this summer. With several match deciding actions she has truly shone for a Turbine side that have struggled, but seems to have found their way. The standout moment was a hat-trick against Wolfsburg, that gave Turbine a 5-2 win.
She won the Champions League in 2015 with Frankfurt. She wasn’t part of the German World Cup squad, but it is become increasingly hard to ignore her. The German team is strong, but with six goals so far in the Frauen Bundesliga Huth is making a good case for herself to be a part of the national team.
Sofia Huerta (Chicago Red Stars, Mexico/USA)
This 11th pick in the 2015 NWSL took advantage of all the playing time she was getting due to the more established players being away on World Cup duty. With six goals and three assists in her rookie season, she earned herself a nomination for NWSL Rookie of the year.
She later lost out to her Red Stars teammate Danielle Colaprico. Along the way she was named NWSL player of the week on two occasions, as well as being named NWSL player of the month for May. Huerta has previously represented both USA and Mexico at youth level, and Mexico at senior level, but has spoken of her desire to represent USA. If she keeps building on her 2015, she will surely be getting call-ups in the future.
Laia Alixandri (Barcelona, Spain)
At 15-years-old, Alixandri is the youngest player on this list. Despite being just 14-years-old at the time, Alixandri was part of the Spanish U17 side that won the European championship in 2015. She is also a part of Barca’s B team, which at the age of 15 is an accomplishment in itself.
Millie Bright (Chelsea, England)
After winning the FA WSL 2 player of the year award in the 2014 season while playing for Doncaster Belles, Bright moved to Chelsea prior to this season. She is not one of those players that runs away with all the headlines but she has been rock solid this year.
She is the player who will make the crunch tackles, adds physicality, strength and gives 100% in every challenge. She is held in high regards by the fans, and has constantly been one of the better players for her team and one of the best midfielders in the league. Bright is on this list because she has taken the step up from WSL 2 to WSL 1 and been an integral part of a championship winning side.
Mina Tanaka (Nippon Television Beleza, Japan)
This Japanese forward has been included because, this year, she has added even more goals to her game. For her club Tanaka scored 21 goals in all competitions (League and Empress’ Cup), which is more than in any other previous season. She has also been getting regular call-ups for the Japanese national team, but missed out on the World Cup. She will get plenty of opportunities going forward, especially if Norio Sasaki has been paying attention to her club form.
Lina Magull (VfL Wolfsburg/SC Freiburg, Germany)
German giants VfL Wolfsburg loaned Magull to fellow Bundeliga side Freiburg prior to the 2015/2016 season. Where Wolfsburg have struggled to find their usually strong form, and are several points behind the league leaders from Bayern, Magull has had a strong season. She ended 2015 by getting shoulder surgery and will be out for some time, but until that injury she was one the best players in the Bundesliga, providing both goals and assists.
Before being loaned out to Freiburg she extended her contract with Wolfsburg, and it will be interesting to see if she can establish herself at Wolfsburg after her loan period is over. She is certainly one of the best young players in Germany. 2015 was also the year she was called into the German national team for the first time.