ESPN announced today the ESPN FC Women’s Rank for the top 50 women footballers in the world, with San Diego Wave FC’s Naomi Girma and Delphine Cascarino earning spots on the list.
Girma comes in as the second best player in the world on ESPN’s 2024 list, highlighting her stature as the best defender in the world. In the USWNT gold medal run at the 2024 Olympics, head coach Emma Hayes called her “the best defender I’ve ever seen.” Her distribution from the back is key to the USWNT’s style under Hayes and has been vital for the club as well as the defender had a 92% passing percentage in regular season. In 2024, she is tied for the fifth-most shots blocked in the NWSL. The 2022 Rookie of the Year and back-to-back Defender of the Year in the NWSL is once again up for 2024 Defender of the Year following her third professional season.
Number 29 on the list is French international star Cascarino. Cascarino’s versatility and dynamic play were pivotal for the Wave since her mid-2024 transfer from Olympique Lyonnais, where she contributed to six UEFA Women’s Champions League titles. Her adaptability on the wing revitalized the Wave’s attack, addressing earlier challenges in creating scoring opportunities. Notably, Cascarino led the team with an average of 0.42 assists per 90 minutes in the NWSL this season, while scoring two goals and adding three assists.
The full list of ESPN rankings can be found here.
