5 Best Female Players in Chelsea’s History
Chelsea is one of the most renowned female football teams. These women are the powerhouse of the English game. The Chelsea Women’s Football team has been honored with five Women’s FA Cups and six Women’s Super League. They have also won two FA Women’s League Cups, among others.
The team was officially formed in 1992. Over the past three decades , many talented female footballers have shown remarkable performance. However, only a few have made their mark as all-time best in the team’s history.
Here’s a look at five of these legendary footballers and their contributions.
1. Magdelana Eriksson
Magdelana Lilly Eriksson is one of the best central defenders in the league. She became captain in 2019, and throughout four of the six events at the time, she led her team to a championship.
With combative qualities and a never-quit attitude, she became an indispensable part of Chelsea. Eriksson joined Chelsea from Linkopings. She joined the team ahead of the 2017/18 season. She made her remarkable debut by scoring against Bristol City.
Upon becoming the captain, she played her first game against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge. Although the campaign was interrupted by the pandemic, she still won the WSL title. Most of these titles were won during the 2020/2021 campaign. They were succeeded by a League Cup double.
Eriksson has played a total of 185 games and scored 11 goals, adding 12 trophies to Chelsea’s cabinet.
2. Pernille Harder
Pernille Harder is regarded as one of the best footballers. However, this title is not limited to Chelsea but the entire world. The Danish footballer joined Chelsea in 2020. Prior to joining the team, she scored 27 goals, contributing immensely to Wolfsburg’s Bundesliga title defense. Harder is also the first foreign player to win the Women’s Footballer of the Year award in Germany.
Chelsea gave Harder the title of the most expensive player in the world upon the signing of the Euro 300000 deal for the Denmark international. Harder has proved herself as a leading striker. She can adopt deeper positions to lend support to her team when they are building an attack.
At Chelsea, Harder is consistently selected as a central attacking midfielder. She is also chosen as a wide forward on either the left or right. The footballer is comfortable in various attacking positions and is able to shoot at goal from various angles with accuracy and power.
3. Eniola Aluko
Eniola Aluko has been a part of Chelsea Women for eight seasons. She is known for her scoring and dribbling ability and pace. Besides Chelsea, Aluko has also made many international contributions to her credit.
She was a part of the England national team. She wowed fans with remarkable performances in the 2011 and 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Aluko played actively for Chelsea for 6 years. This was from 2012 to 2018. Her senior career in the women’s team began from from 2012 and ended in 2018. She played actively for almost two decades.
During this time, Aluko won many honors. The most noteworthy include the WSL Top Scorer in 2016 and the Chelsea Ladies Player of the Year from 2014 to 2015. She also won the Women’s Super League Hall of Fame in 2022.
4. Bethany England
Bethany England has left an indelible impact on Chelsea. She led the Women’s Football team to victory in the 2020 FA SL and 2019 FA League Cup.
She joined Chelsea in January 2016. Here, in her 19 appearances, she scored five times. This includes seven starts, where she played as a wingback. Her contract was renewed in 2017. Soon, a few months later, she was loaned to Liverpool. Here, she scored 10 goals in 16 matches.
Due to her contributions, Liverpool finished 6th, with a 9-8-1 record during the regular season. England returned to Chelsea for the 2018 – 19 FA WL Series. Here, she struck 12 goals in 18 matches, ranking third in the league. On Chelsea’s squad, she ranked first. England’s fans can never tire of watching her performance this season. Her stellar action on the field can be enjoyed through replays. If you’re a fan of England and can’t get enough of her standout performance this season, this article will show you how to relive her stellar action on the field as she led Chelsea to victory.
In January and February, England was named the Player of the Month. This coveted title was given to her because she was the top scorer in the 2019 FA WSL season. Chelsea’s manager Emma Hayes has rightly called Bethany ‘the best English number No 9’ in the country.
5. Francesca Kirby
Francesca Kirby plays as an attacking midfielder for the Women’s football team. The Guardian featured her on its list of the 100 Best Female Footballers in the World. This is duly justified. Until 2020, she was Chelsea’s all-time top scorer.
Kirby led the Women’s Football team to victory over Notts County. It happened at the 2015 FA season finals of the Women’s Cup. Soon after, in October of the same year, she scored twice in Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Sunderland. She was indispensable in helping Chelsea win the FA WSL season in 2016.
Kirby was awarded the PFA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year in April 2018. In the 2018 season, she won the title of the Football Writers’s Women’s Footballer of the Year.
Kirby has shown remarkable dedication to the game. She was diagnosed with Pericarditis in 2020. Doctors told her to not return to the field. But she soon overcame the illness. Not only that, but she also scored two goals in 5-0 against Benfica in the UEFA Women’s Champion League.
Final Words
The history of Chelsea Women’s Football is decorated with remarkable talents. The team’s success is due to women stars like Magdalena Eriksson, Eniola Aluko, and others. They have earned honors not only at Chelsea but also internationally. In this process, they have cemented their places among the club’s legends.
