Women's Euro 2025: Five players to watch out for in European Championship
The 16-team tournament will conclude on July 27, with the St Jakob Stadium in Basel set to host the summit clash.
England is the defending champion after beating record eight-time winner Germany 2-1 in the 2022 edition's final at Wembley Stadium.
Take a look at some of the stars to keep an eye out for:
Alessia Russo (England)
File photo: England and Arsenal forward Alessia Russo. | Photo Credit: AP
England forward Alessia Russo will come into the tournament on the back of a surprise UEFA Women's Champions League final triumph with Arsenal. She scored 35 goals last season, including eight in the Champions League, as the Gunners beat Barcelona to clinch their second ever European title.
The Arsenal player was also the joint top scorer in the Women's Super League this season with Manchester City's Khadija Shaw, as Arsenal finished second.
Back in the 2022 edition of the European Championship, she came off the bench in all six games and bagged four goals. This time, she is one of the senior members of the group and will be an essential part of coach Sarina Wiegman's title defence.
Ewa Pajor (Poland)
File photo: Poland and Barcelona forward Ewa Pajor. | Photo Credit: Charles McQuillan
For Poland, which is making its debut in the competition, the goalscoring duties will majorly rest on the shoulders of in-form striker Ewa Pajor. The 28-year-old was an important part of Barcelona's success this season, after making a move from Wolfsburg last year.
She scored 43 goals and provided 14 assists in 46 appearances last season as Barcelona went on to lift the Liga F and Spanish cup titles. Her performances have also made her a contender for the Ballon d'Or Feminin this year.
ALSO READ | Women's Euro 2025: Full schedule, list of matches, time, dates, venues
In international colours after making her debut in 2013, she has played 101 games, netting 68 times in that period.
Aitana Bonmati (Spain)
While Aitana Bonmati joined the Spain squad late after having treatment for viral meningitis, her presence is sure to give the reigning world champion a big boost. Despite having a disappointing end to the season with Barcelona, on a personal level, the two-time Ballon d'Or Féminin winner was sharp in front of the goal, finding the back of the net 15 times while also assisting six times in 37 matches.
While the 27-year-old is unlikely to feature in their opening game against Portugal, Spain will hope that she can play a big part in the later stages. Head coach Montse Tome also reiterated her importance ahead of the tournament's start, saying, 'Bonmati is so important for us and we will wait for her, whatever happens, until the end.'
Klara Buhl (Germany)
File photo: Germany and Bayern Munich forward Klara Buhl. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Last edition's beaten finalists, Germany, will look to go one step further this time and lift a ninth title, and their attack will be spearheaded by the young but experienced Klara Buhl. Bayern Munich forward will seek redemption after she was ruled out of the 2022 final against England after testing positive for Covid-19.
This time, she is in fine form and was instrumental in Bayern's maiden domestic double triumph (Frauen-Bundesliga and DFB Cup), and had the most goal contributions in the league with seven goals and 14 assists in 22 games.
Despite being only 24 years old, Klara has made 67 appearances for the national team and has bagged 28 goals in that time.
Alexia Putellas (Spain)
This list would not be complete without mentioning Alexia Putellas, who is one of the greatest female football players of all time.
Putellas, who became the first player to win Ballon d'Or Fémininis twice (2021 and 2022), is also the most capped player in the Spanish women's national football team history (130). She has represented Spain in five major tournaments since her debut in 2013.
However, she missed the last edition of the European Championship in 2022 after suffering an ACL injury just before the tournament began and will be raring to lead Spain to a maiden title.
The 31-year-old's selection in the squad is backed up by a successful season with Barcelona, where she recorded 22 goals and three assists in 39 games across all competitions.
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