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After assisting England to win Euro 2025, Hannah Hampton was honored as the best female goalkeeper in the world at the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Chelsea won the title last year and finished the season with an outstanding unbeaten Women’s Super League record.

Hampton has taken up the position of Mary Earps’ number one in England. Before her international retirement, she frequently surpassed Earps and has demonstrated her worth to Sarina Wiegman’s side.

She saved two penalties in their quarter-final victory over Sweden and saved another two when Spain defeated Spain in the final.

Along with Phallon Tullis-Joyce from Manchester United, she also had the WSL golden glove with her 13 league victories for Chelsea.

Hampton on overcoming the odds because he was born with a serious eye condition:

No one or even the doctors would have predicted that your national goalkeeper had a squint and had no depth perception, according to me. I don’t believe it would have ever been thought up by people as being possible.

“But I believe I’ve just always tried to refute doctors’ claims that I’m not permitted to play professional sports, and I only wanted to do what made me happy and make people smile.”

On “psychological monsters” playing for “Chelsea:

“I believe that Chelsea is a club of mentality monsters just because of how it operates.” They want to win every aspect of the club, from the owner to the players to the backroom staff to the coach. They merely desire to succeed in every way. You can’t help but feel their feelings and pursue their goals. I want to bring trophies to this amazing club and help them succeed as much as I can in this game.

Regarding penalty shootouts for Euro 2025:

My back was under pressure. But I wasn’t thinking about that at the time. I was considering doing it for the girls. I had to hold still in my own 18-yard box for 120 minutes while they ran around. It almost seemed like a way to express gratitude to them for surviving those penalty shootouts and maintaining their defensive standing.

Regarding the words of wisdom she would offer to her younger self:

Hampton kept 13 clean sheets in 22 games as Chelsea’s unbeaten Women’s Super League campaign.

You might have missed a crucial component of Hampton’s technique that allowed her to save as many penalties as she did thanks to her shootout performances, which ensured England won the Euros this summer.

Given her preparation using data analysis, Hampton was aware of which side she would eventually choose. The key to Hampton’s success came from placing her foot the closest to the side she was diving to as the opponent began to advance.

Some keepers use their inward-pointing to force their way out before crashing into the goal’s corner. Keepers can quickly descend because of this, but in reality, the foot’s inward movement leads the keeper to the goal’s corner. They must travel a greater distance as a result.

Is it clear why Patri Guijarro’s description frequently includes the phrase “unsung hero”?

The midfielder can occasionally fly under the radar because of his involvement with Barcelona’s star-studded sides and Spain.

However, her presence as the backbone for her teams makes up for what she lacks in the goals and assist statistics, which also allows the rest to shine.

She won a domestic treble with Barcelona despite losing this year’s Champions League final to her club and losing this year’s Euro 2025 final to her country.

The 27-year-old sets the pace by steadying her team from the midfield, reversing possession and making attacking moves.

Although her work may not always be the most glamorous, it is consistently tenacious, and a key component of her sides’ makeup.

Guijarro, a unsung hero:

“I’m very surprised,” she said. I’ve always felt very valued by the staff and the players. And that is the best part of me. Additionally, they let you know about it. I want to help them, which is a reason to be happy, because it means that I can help them and that I can make positive contributions to the team. It is a wonderful compliment.

How did she first become a football player?

At the age of 7, I began competing in leagues. I’ve played a lot of backyard games since I was very young with my father. I would always go to the park with my father, his brother, and my uncle to play. I’ve always enjoyed playing ball since I was a young girl.

During her time with Barcelona:

“I’ve been here for ten years. These past few years have been incredible, especially in terms of the outcomes, the direction we have taken, and the goals we have set.

I’m happy to contribute to the club as well as the national team because I’m now where I want to be with the performances I’m giving. I’m content and very happy.

Regarding the Euros:

“To play for the national team, defend this jersey, your home is what I’ve always wanted,” he said. Any football player wants to do that in order to succeed to the fullest.

Given how significant her sides are to her, it is difficult to separate one thing from another when analyzing Guijarro.

Her proactivity is a distinguishing trait. Guijarro is able to see the picture of the game before it actually happens and bravely pushes her team to the front foot, causing the game to move at a faster pace. She does this by pressing and moving away from the ball and making pass selections on it.

Without needing additional thought or additional touches to prepare herself for a pass, her ability to turn and play a direct pass in one smooth motion frequently allows her to do so. This prevents the game from being interrupted.

She is the ideal player to have the game run through by allowing her to control the game with quick passes and quickly launch impressive long balls to team-mates who are running in behind.

Mariona Caldentey helped Arsenal win a second Champions League title with her arrival last summer.

She gave an already strong squad a creative we and cutting edge.

She was named the WSL’s player of the year after moving from Barcelona because of how impressive her performances were.

She also made history for her country when Spain defeated England in the Euro 2025 final, but she didn’t win the trophy because of it.

Caldentey’s transition from Barcelona to Arsenal:

“It was both exciting and depressing at the same time.” Simply put, I savored the opportunity to face a new challenge. I had a really lovely ten years playing football and playing on the field in Barca.

Because I was in a really good place and felt really at ease there, it seemed like a bit of a crazy decision, but I now know it was the right choice. Everyone at Arsenal made it really simple for me, which is why I’m so happy to be here.

Considering what has been working so well at Arsenal:

“I feel so confident playing here. The coaches don’t listen to me because they only want to help me in that regard. The same holds true for my team-mates: I can improve them and improve them. Win-win situation here. The team’s performance is always the focus. It took a little while at first, but I think it was fantastic once I figured it out, including my teammate and my position.

What she thought of the Champions League final emotions:

“It was really difficult and strange for me to compete in the final.” I’m typically not anxious when I play games. Although it was a special day, I was also a little anxious because it was a final, as well as my friends, my ex-teammates, and the staff. Everything I’ve just left behind, and you play them in a final the same year. It was exactly as it was intended to be, and the Champions League as a whole was a truly unique experience. We are so happy Arsenal will be able to win it once more after 18 years.

Having defeated Spain to reach the Euro 2025 final:

In the Women’s Super League last season, Caldentey was arguably the most creative player overall, despite three players contributing more assists from open play.

The midfielder for Arsenal, however, worked tirelessly to win it back as well. She didn’t just impress with what she did on the ball.

Through her career, Caldentey has played both on the wing, the number 10, and in the middle. However, she made an impressive impression as a member of a midfield duo last season in a slightly different role.

Although she initially played in central midfield, her work in broad areas and up the pitch made it possible for her to interpret the position in a special way.

Although rigid positional systems can become predictable to defend against, Caldentey frequently swung to the left.

Her ability to play wide with ease helped her team grow and get wider at times, causing her to become wider. She also helped her team’s success by assisting her left winger in getting the ball into the final third by interacting closely with her left winger, which was a hallmark of the teams she played for.

Caldentey won the ball back in the opponent’s third possession win more than anyone else in the WSL last year, surpassing Caldentey’s ability to win it back high up the pitch. This was done in the league, where it was also generating the most chances from open play.

Aitana Bonmati has had a very productive year. She won three women’s Ballons d’Or titles, won a domestic treble, and advanced to the Euro 2025 final as the first woman to do so.

Her pedigree is obvious, as are her numerous awards won and awards won. She has won five Spanish Super Cups, three league titles, and three European crowns.

It was a remarkable campaign despite Barcelona’s Champions League defeat to Arsenal and her remarkable recovery from a bout of viral meningitis shortly before the start of the competition.

Spain made history by reaching the final for the first time after defeating Germany in the Euros semi-final through the creative playmaker.

She may be running at 11 p.m. at night, so keep an eye out for her. In the village, she is roosting around. There is no limit to what she can do if she continues to do that. With eight Ballons of Or, she might as well become Lionel Messi. She will be able to surpass his level.

According to Bonmati, “It’s both a source of pride and a responsibility,” according to Bonmati. Our performance and our play are judged in addition to our results. The majority of teams would be happy with just winning, but we are expected to win and perform well for ourselves and for our own sake. That is a significant responsibility.

Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, said: “Aitana Bonmati is a football player who has me completely in love with her for the way she plays. She resembles [Andres] Iniesta, the woman, in my opinion.

Even though Bonmati had the most chances last season in Liga F, only two players, Alexia Putellas and Caroline Graham Hansen, who combined for 11 and 10 assists, total, led the league.

Not a lot has been said about Bonmati, in my opinion. She claims that understanding the game, finding spaces with and without the ball, and finding solutions in each match are her greatest strengths.

This self-assessment is perfectly accurate tactfully. How far apart from others does Bonmati stand out from other people? She consistently solves issues in games thanks to her spatial awareness, game IQ, and technical proficiency.

Similar to Mariona Caldentey, but from a higher starting position, which frequently gives players less time and space, she moves to find space in a way that benefits the team.

For both club and country, Bonmati made sense of unconventional positions, occasionally even reversing them to create an overload. Although her movement frequently resulted in 3v2 or 2v1 situations, it goes against what a positional side would normally do.

Her passing and dribbling in an otherwise-worldly small space is nearly impossible to stop because of her numerical advantage.

She is also distinguished by her superiority over her contemporaries.