James set to return for England against Jamaica
Chelsea forward Lauren James is available to play against Jamaica in a boost to England's Euro 2025 preparations - her first match since April after recovering from a hamstring injury.
The 23-year-old has not featured for club or country in three months so is expected to come on as a substitute in England's final friendly on Sunday at 17:00 BST.
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Sarina Wiegman's side begin the defence of their European title in Switzerland on 5 July when they face France in their group opener.
"We have to manage the minutes. She's doing really well, but of course she hasn't played games yet. But she's in a good place," said Wiegman when asked if James could feature at the King Power Stadium.
"She will likely come off the bench - we can manage that a bit.
"She showed up in the training sessions really well. She could cope with loads and recover from loads.
"Her performance has been really good. She's ready; we're just still growing into minutes. This is the first time in a while that she's coming into a game.
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"She [needs to] get through that. Then we'll take it from there towards the tournament."
James was one of the stars of England's route to the 2023 Women's World Cup final, with three goals and three assists in the group stages before being sent off in the last-16 victory over Nigeria.
England defender Jess Carter said it was "exciting" to see James back in training and is confident she can have an impact in the tournament.
"The most impressive thing for me is that she has come back as almost a new player," said Carter.
"She looks so fresh and sharp. She is a pain to play against. Good luck to anyone having to play against her in the tournament."
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Gotham FC defender Carter is hoping to push into Wiegman's starting XI but says the competition in the squad is "great".
"There is not one chance where you can be complacent. You have to be at the highest level every training session, every game, because if you don't, you're probably not going to play," said Carter.
"That's what we want as players - to have players that can compete in multiple positions and perform at the highest level."
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Welcome to The Radar Women's Euros edition. Here at, we love detailed analysis, beautiful visuals and using our team of expert writers, tacticians, data analysts and designers to guide you through the game's biggest moments. Advertisement What follows is our 25 for '25 — the players we think you should know more about as the European Championship gets under way in Switzerland on Wednesday. We have grouped them into five categories: Countries' top scorers Europe's best of 2024-25 The stars of World Cup 2023 Top-class defenders The next generation You can search by category — or, if you prefer, you can browse by country, club or position. Just click or tap to expand and collapse each card. You will find at least one player for all of the 16 competing nations and it is apt that no country has more entrants on this list than world champions Spain (four). Advertisement This is the product of a huge amount of research and hard work by our team of women's football writers: Michael Cox, Megan Feringa, Charlotte Harpur, Asli Pelit and Tamerra Griffin. Conor O'Neill from our data team led the production of the excellent visuals you will find in each player's profile, and thanks also to our design team of John Bradford and Eamonn Dalton for their work in making The Radar look great! Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of the players to watch — others will inevitably come to the fore — but these are the ones our writers wanted to focus on and for you to know more about. We hope you love reading it as much as we enjoyed creating it. Ewa Pajor Poland come into Euro 2025 – their first major international tournament in the women's game – as relative unknowns. But their main threat is obvious. Captain Ewa Pajor has long been compared to her compatriot Robert Lewandowski — prolific strikers in otherwise modest international sides — so the links became even stronger when she joined Barcelona last summer. This season, both have fired Barca to domestic glory. Advertisement Having finished as the Frauen Bundesliga's top goalscorer with Wolfsburg in 2023-24, Pajor switched to Barcelona and finished as the Liga F top goalscorer in 2024-25, scoring a remarkable 43 goals in 46 games in all competitions for her club. She is Poland's sole superstar and her brilliance in front of goal ensures that even if Poland are largely outplayed by their Group C opponents, they will always have a chance of nicking a goal. On ability alone, Pajor should have appeared at a major tournament long before the age of 28 – a birthday she celebrated by scoring the only goal in the second leg of the play-off victory over Austria to secure her country's place at Euro 2025. She has overcome a serious eye problem and two knee injuries in recent years to be regarded as possibly Europe's most deadly striker. Always a brilliant finisher, her move to Barcelona has turned her into more of an all-rounder, comfortable at linking play and creating space for others to burst into. She recorded 10 assists in 2024-25, the second-most in the league behind team-mate Alexia Putellas. But Pajor is, at heart, a penalty-box striker. Her particular specialism is making sudden bursts towards the near post, staying in the defender's blind spot before suddenly jumping ahead of her marker to turn home a simple chance, often laid on a plate at club level by Caroline Graham Hansen, with whom Pajor also worked well at Wolfsburg. Sometimes it feels like the wingers' job is actually to cross towards the defender in the knowledge that Pajor will get a run on them and nip in to finish. She is also adept at scoring with her head. Advertisement At international level, the service is not always so presentable, and at times, Pajor might be feeding off scraps. But she does have the speed to go in behind if Poland opt to play more directly. In a tough group, that is likely to be the order of the day. Realistically, the Poles' only chance of progression is if Pajor is on fire. Michael Cox Pernille Harder When you think of Denmark, you think of Pernille Harder. She is their talisman, focal point and driver. With more than 150 caps and 77 goals to her name, she is her country's all-time top scorer. She has also been UEFA's player of the year twice, Denmark's player of the year seven times, and was the first foreign player to be named Germany's footballer of the year. Advertisement In 2020, she made what was at the time a world-record move from Wolfsburg to Chelsea, where she joined her partner, Sweden international Magdalena Eriksson. The pair are outspoken equality and LGBTQI+ advocates and, in Eriksson's words, are 'among the most visible gay couples in the women's game' after their kiss at the 2019 Women's World Cup went viral. The Manchester United fan is a master of the No 10 role. She can drop deep to link play and, thanks to her spatial awareness, finds pockets of space and makes intelligent runs. She creates opportunities for herself and is a ruthless finisher. Technically proficient, Harder is also a leader with an insatiable work ethic. Denmark's captain had surgery on a hamstring injury in November 2022, which disrupted her final season at Chelsea, with whom she won the domestic treble once and double twice. Advertisement "She is one of the most eccentric characters I've ever coached,' said former Chelsea manager and now United States Women's National Team head coach Emma Hayes. 'I will miss her eccentricity, no question, her attention to detail, her thirst for winning." Harder, a keen golfer, moved from Chelsea to Bayern Munich in 2023 and in 2024-25 started the most number of games (21) and played the most number of minutes (1,757) of her career in a league campaign, helping Bayern to win the domestic double. She has now won 10 consecutive league titles. She goes into the Euros having scored 14 goals, more than her past four seasons at Bayern and Chelsea, but nowhere near her tally of 27 for Wolfsburg in the 2019-2020 campaign when at her best. The 2023 World Cup was the first time since 1995 that Denmark had reached a major tournament knockout stage, and at Euro 2022, Harder scored their only goal in their solitary win, a 1-0 victory against Finland. If you need to dig deep, the 32-year-old will get you out of trouble. Advertisement Charlotte Harpur Alexia Putellas It has been too long since Alexia Putellas properly graced an international tournament. Domestically and individually, the 31-year-old has collected every accolade — two Ballons d'Or, two FIFA The Best awards, three Champions Leagues and nine Liga F titles with Barcelona. Internationally, though, it has not quite worked out. In four major tournaments in which she featured heavily from 2013-2019, Spain never progressed beyond the quarter-finals. An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture ruled her out of Euro 2022 and limited her to a bit part role in the 2023 World Cup victory in Australia, creating a strange situation where Spain's biggest name was reduced to a footnote. She averaged 30 minutes per game, coming on in the 90th minute in the final, scored no goals and registered one assist. Advertisement In Switzerland she can make up for lost time. Since returning to full fitness in the 2023-24 season, Putellas has reclaimed her place and has started Spain's past four matches. She will be a crucial part of La Roja's formidable midfield this summer alongside Barca team-mates Aitana Bonmati and Patricia Guijarro. She remains as versatile as she is talented, capable of linking play from further back with her passing range, playing off a striker, or holding up the ball before turning and shooting as a false nine. Putellas, even by her standards, had a stellar 2024-25 campaign. Her 16 goals in 24 Liga F games were bettered only by team-mate Ewa Pajor's 25 in 28 games, and her 11 assists were the most in the division. Advertisement That was in spite of two three-week injury lay-offs due to issues with her right calf and left ankle in November and February. These are a slight concern considering Putellas was never particularly injury-prone before her ACL tear, so Spain manager Montse Tome might be tempted to manage her minutes in Switzerland to protect her. Putellas can be deployed to great effect from the bench — she sealed Barcelona's Champions League win against Lyon in 2024 with a curler into the roof of the net just three minutes after coming on. Putellas has won plenty in her career. As part of this Spain team, packed with Barcelona team-mates and talent, this summer could belong to her. Cerys Jones Jess Fishlock Wales are finally at a major women's tournament. That means Jess Fishlock is finally at a major women's tournament. Advertisement The Seattle Reign midfielder made her international debut in 2006 and immediately began pushing the boundaries for women's football in the country. Earlier in her career, she famously took scissors to an oversized, long-sleeve, hand-me-down men's shirt when representing Wales, despite the Football Association of Wales (FAW) warning her that the women's team were only to borrow the garment. Other players followed suit, taking scissors to the inside lining of male-specific shorts. Fishlock was one of the key voices in lobbying the FAW for equity in pay and facilities, eventually leading to a historic equal pay settlement in 2023. Across nearly two decades, she has become Wales' record goalscorer (47) and record caps holder (161). She has made 200 appearances in the NWSL and has won a whole range of trophies, including the Champions League, the NWSL title and the Ligue 1 title, as well as having a long list of individual accolades to her name. Advertisement For years, her personal success has been at odds with that of Wales' women's team, who carry with them a cruel history of near misses on the international stage. It has given her a myth-like quality. Talk to Fishlock about any of this and she will frown, insisting she is no more a representative of Wales than her team-mates. She has a point: the game that sealed Wales' Euro 2025 fate was won by goals from Carrie Jones and Hannah Cain, players over a decade younger than Fishlock and with less than a third of Fishlock's caps combined. But you cannot separate Wales' recent success from Fishlock. In qualifying for the Euros, she had nine goal involvements (six goals, three assists) in 10 matches. At 38 years old and nearly two decades into her senior career, Fishlock is not as pacy as she once was and a recurring ankle injury has affected her season with Seattle Reign. But the delicacy of her touch, her vision, her reading of the game and her ability to score crucial goals for her country remain largely unrivalled in the Wales squad. Advertisement Megan Feringa Tessa Wullaert Tessa Wullaert does not appear interested in wasting time. Since arriving at Inter from Dutch club Fortuna Sittard in 2024, the 32-year-old forward has scored 10 goals in 23 appearances. Against England in April – on the back of a crushing 5-0 loss to the Lionesses in their previous Nations League meeting – Wullaert scored twice and set up the other goal as Belgium earned a stunning 3-2 win over the European champions. As captain, Wullaert's job will be to score goals but also help her younger team-mates cope with the pressures of a major tournament. On the former point, while her highlights reel does not necessarily crackle with the aesthetics that make for social media sharability, her goals are the kind that make the final cut of opponents' scouting reports: a sneaky striker who lurks, hungry for a rebound or ready to pounce when a defender thinks they have more time than they actually do. Most of her goals for Inter were scored that way last season. Advertisement 'Never in fear. Never in doubt,' she writes in her Instagram captions after matches. Belgium probably are not complete enough as a squad to compete for the trophy, but they have more than enough ability to cause problems. With Wullaert providing the passionate leadership and with decent service into the box, she and the team could certainly bully their way through games. Tamerra Griffin Alessia Russo It feels strange that Alessia Russo was one of the stars of the last European Championship, considering she did not actually start a game as England won the 2022 tournament on home soil. But Russo was a regular super-sub, appearing in all six games in place of Ellen White. She scored four times, including two of the best goals of the tournament. Everyone remembers her remarkable backheeled nutmeg in the 4-0 semi-final win over Sweden, but Russo preferred her brilliant turn-and-finish against Northern Ireland in the group stage. Advertisement Both those goals, in different ways, start with Russo having her back to the opposition goal. That has always been one of her main strengths — not simply her link play, but her ability to shield the ball from defenders. Even when Rachel Daly was outscoring her in the Women's Super League (WSL), England manager Sarina Wiegman always favoured Russo for her all-round qualities. Since the last Euros, Russo has left Manchester United for Arsenal. Her first season was steady, while her second and most recent campaign was spectacular. An excellent run of form in the winter meant she became the WSL's standout player, and she won both the FWA player of the year award and (jointly, with Khadija Shaw) the WSL Golden Boot, too. She ended the season a Champions League winner, too. She's a more capable finisher than ever, increasingly comfortable on her left foot. 'I was slightly predictable, always getting the ball and cutting across to my right foot,' she told The Athletic earlier this year. 'So, trying to work on left-foot finishing is really important to me, just to add variety. Being able to chop and go on both sides is key.' She is also adept at scoring with her head, making her one of the most complete finishers at this tournament. At the World Cup in 2023, when England reached the final, Russo ended up playing in a strike duo with Lauren Hemp, which was an improvised but broadly successful approach. This summer, she is likely to be the lone striker between two wingers and should be supplied with a stream of crosses to feed off. Russo is probably happiest when she has her former Manchester United team-mate, close friend and podcast co-host Ella Toone playing just off her, although Wiegman may end up preferring a different tilt to the midfield. Advertisement But there is little debate — for the first time in a while — about England's first-choice No 9. Russo will lead the line and she will score goals. Michael Cox Lineth Beerensteyn As a toddler, Lineth Beerensteyn told her mum she wanted to become a footballer. Her mum did not think it was possible. 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She also ranked fourth in the league for goal-creating actions (14). Americans might recognise the name Beerensteyn and bristle at the memory of the player who declared her elation at the USWNT's humiliating last-16 exit from the 2023 Women's World Cup, claiming the 'big-mouthed' four-time champions should have done their talking on the pitch. Advertisement She enters the tournament as one of the Netherlands' most in-form attacking players in a year when the talismanic Vivianne Miedema continues to be sidelined through a knee injury, while other key players such as Victoria Pelova have also had spells out through injury. The Netherlands have yet to look like a convincing unit since the World Cup, with manager Andries Jonker opting to rotate heavily in the months leading up to his final tournament as Dutch head coach. Consistency will be a valuable currency. Beerensteyn's ability to provide that in front of goal could be priceless. Megan Feringa Johanna Rytting Kaneryd In an era when wingers are routinely fielded on the opposite flank to their strongest foot, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd feels like something of a throwback as a right-footed right-winger. And it also feels like a throwback to be talking about a two-word phrase that tells you much about the strengths and weaknesses of a winger: end product. Advertisement At the Women's World Cup two years ago, Rytting Kaneryd was frustrating. She always looked dangerous down the right flank but was not consistent with her crossing or shooting. Arguably, she never really was: she had scored only two goals in 30-odd caps by that stage and had never managed more than five goals in a league campaign. But then, midway through last year, something clicked. She developed her left foot and started to offer more of a goalscoring threat. She partly credits Lauren James, despite James being four-and-a-half years younger, for inspiring her to become more of an all-round attacker. Rytting Kaneryd became clinical for Chelsea, producing a storming performance on the final day of the 2023-24 season in the 6-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford to help Emma Hayes win one last league title. She followed that up with her first double at international level, away in Ireland. She carried that form into this season, with three goals and four assists in her first six appearances. At that point, she was the WSL's in-form player and managed both a goal and an assist in her next two Sweden matches, too. In the second half of this season, things have been more of a struggle, even as Chelsea have coasted to an unbeaten league title. Rytting Kaneryd has managed no goals and two assists. She was fielded as more of a wing-back in the second leg of Chelsea's Champions League defeat by Barcelona and was shackled comfortably by her international team-mate Fridolina Rolfo. She is still constantly dangerous and tops the WSL in two telling metrics: most progressive passes received and most carries into the final third. But as with two years ago, the problem is that old phrase: end product. Advertisement Still, she remains near-undroppable for Sweden, a side who largely base their attacking around quick transitions, and there are few better players in this competition at breaking at speed. The question is whether she can convert her promising running into decisive contributions. Michael Cox Laura Freigang Unless you are a regular watcher of the Frauen Bundesliga, you could be forgiven for not knowing too much about Laura Freigang. While a member of Germany's squads in each of the past three summers, she was on the pitch for just 15 minutes at Euro 2022, eight minutes at World Cup 2023, and 81 minutes at the 2024 Olympics. She is not yet a star across the continent. Advertisement But Freigang is one of the most revered players in Germany, having hit at least nine league goals in each of her seven campaigns as a top-flight regular. She now captains Eintracht Frankfurt, who are eternally on the fringes of the big time, having finished third behind Bayern and Wolfsburg in each of the past four campaigns. Despite constant transfer rumours, she is settled at a club where she says she feels at home. It might be at international level, rather than club level, where Freigang has her best chance of winning her first trophy. Positionally, she is very interesting. Capable of playing either as a No 9 or a No 10, Freigang seems to favour the latter position. That is not simply because she is more involved in play and able to influence the game more, but because it seems to suit her goalscoring ability, too. She specialises in bursting into the box and arriving at the right time to meet crosses, and with her club, she has often benefited from playing at the top of a midfield diamond, taking advantage of playing behind two strikers who occupy defenders and create space for her runs. That is a relatively unusual role in the modern game and Freigang will not find the Germany side entirely based around her needs. But she is likely to play in that No 10 position, operating off a proper striker, Lea Schuller. She has a good track record in Switzerland, hitting two goals in Germany's 6-0 win over the Euro 2025 host nation in November last year. Both were typical Freigang goals: arriving late in the box to turn home crosses from the right wing. It probably was not a coincidence that both were assisted by Pia-Sophie Wolter, her Eintracht Frankfurt team-mate. Intelligent and eloquent away from the pitch, Freigang studied advertising and public relations during a stint at Pennsylvania State University. A keen analogue photographer, she published a book of photographs of Germany's disappointing 2023 World Cup campaign through her own company named Pictogang, a neat riff on her surname. If Germany enjoy Euro 2025 success, this year's equivalent will be a bestseller. Michael Cox Caroline Graham Hansen When Caroline Graham Hansen signed for Barcelona in 2019, everyone advised her not to do so. 'It will be a step backwards in your career,' they warned her. And with good reason. The Catalan club had been professional for four years, but the results had not yet arrived. Lluis Cortes' team had just reached their first Champions League final and it was clear they were still a long way behind the very best in Europe. Lyon thrashed them 4-1. They had not won a league title in four years and there had been regular managerial changes. But the Norwegian, who had formed one of the most feared attacking trios on the continent at Wolfsburg, packed her bags and left for Barcelona. Her arrival marked a turning point for the club. From that year onwards, the club were transformed. Is there a more underrated player in Europe?. Every season, she is one of the big forgotten figures in individual awards. She is a player who does not like the spotlight and always stays in the background when it comes to celebrations, but she is and has been pivotal to the Catalan club's success. She is a very skilful right-winger with the ability to decide the outcome of games. She dribbles past opponents with astonishing ease and has a great capacity to provide assists. In Liga F, she was the team's second-highest assist provider (10) behind Alexia Putellas (11). But… she is not going into the European Championship on the back of her best season. She scored 16 goals, half as many as in 2023-24 (32). In the Champions League final that Barca lost to Arsenal, she was a peripheral figure. The team needed individual talent to come to the fore, but it did not happen. She will need to return to her best form if Norway are to go deep into the tournament. Laia Cervello Herrero Aitana Bonmati Aitana Bonmati is one of Barcelona's greatest products. She is a midfielder with great vision and a perfect understanding of the positional play that is Barca's trademark. No one will be surprised by what she can do at these Euros, providing she is able to play and be at her best (she missed Spain's final warm-up game after being diagnosed with viral meningitis). She has won the past two Ballon d'Or awards and has been an indispensable part of a brilliant Barcelona team and the Spain side that won the World Cup and the Nations League. After seasons spent between Barca B and the first team, in 2016 she made the leap permanently and in 2019 she consolidated her starting place. The 2022-23 season was when she finally exploded and stood out on her own in the fight for the big individual titles. She is a leader on the field. An attacking midfielder who plays on the right, her vision of the game, ball control, ability to see spaces where no one else can and capacity to connect with Caroline Graham Hansen on the right wing for Barca are all impressive. Bonmati is a very ambitious player who embodies the DNA of her club. She wears the No 14 jersey, which she knows is special since it was worn by Johan Cruyff. The Spaniard is very technical, skilful and one of the players who helps set the tempo of the game. Given the style of play of both Barca and Spain, she is key in the offensive side of the game. Attacks go through her and she is the one who helps organise the team. She is also one of the most complete players. She scores goals, provides assists and helps her team-mates create chances. Her dedication on the field is also one of her great strengths, with her rising to the occasion in important games: she scored in the Champions League finals that Barcelona won in 2021 against Chelsea and in 2024 against Lyon. This season, she has provided 12 assists and scored 15 goals. Although this has not been her best Liga F campaign, she has certainly grown in the Champions League to the point of being recognised by UEFA as the best player in the competition. Laia Cervello Herrero Lauren Hemp 'On her day, there are very few better,' said then-Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall. Going into the 2023 World Cup, he chose winger Lauren Hemp as his potential player of the tournament. Following Keira Walsh's injury in England's second game against Denmark, the Lionesses went to a back three and put two up front: Hemp and Alessia Russo. After England's 3-1 semi-final win against hosts Australia, when Hemp was named player of the match, team-mate Ella Toone described her as a 'nuisance' and a 'nightmare' to play against. She used her speed to make runs in behind, came short and held players off, feistily using her body to protect the ball and also showed her predatory instincts with a poacher's finish. Hemp is a record four-time Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) young player of the year winner, and her versatility is admired by England manager Sarina Wiegman; she can also play in the No 9 role, but it is not her usual position. Instead, we are used to seeing the 24-year-old running at players on the left wing, terrorising the defence with her pace as she snake-hips her way through, getting the crowd off their seats. 'Be brave' is the type of message she writes on her white wristband before kick-off. Off the ball, she is like a terrier, snapping at the opposition's heels. The laid-back Lego-lover's best quality is her attitude. Humble, selfless and down-to-earth, she is a workhorse for her team with a never-say-die attitude. Having moved from Norfolk in the east of England to Bristol City in the south west at the age of 16, the former county cricketer – who signed a new three-year contract with Manchester City in April last year despite interest from Arsenal and Barcelona – had to be mentally strong to live away from home at such a young age. That mettle was tested once again when she suffered a knee injury in November and was ruled out for five months, the longest time she has spent on the sidelines. Hemp looked sharp upon her return in April and played 162 minutes over three games. Some may say it was perfect timing for her to hit the ground running this summer. Charlotte Harpur Jill Roord If the Netherlands are to have a chance of repeating their 2017 success, Jill Roord will need to lead the charge. Born in Oldenzaal, a sleepy Dutch city, Roord has the game in her DNA. Her father, Rene Roord, played professionally for FC Twente, and young Jill followed in his footsteps from the age of five. Playing with local boys' teams sharpened her physical and technical skills early on, and it was not long before scouts noticed her flair and grit. In a 2020 interview with FIFA, she said her childhood idol was Ronaldinho. After making her professional debut at FC Twente at just 16 years old and helping the team win multiple league titles, she transferred to Bayern Munich in 2017, where she embraced the challenge of playing with Europe's elite. During her first season with the club, Roord scored six goals in 17 games. But it was after her move to Arsenal in 2019 that she truly exploded onto the global stage, scoring back-to-back WSL hat-tricks and becoming one of the most talked-about players in one of the most competitive leagues in the world at only 22 years old. She was named the league's player of the month for September and the first women's soccer player ever to be named in the DAZN European team of the week. A move back to Germany followed, this time with Wolfsburg. Roord thrived, winning the Frauen Bundesliga in 2021-22 and helping them reach the Champions League final a year later. In 2023, Roord made headlines by signing a three-year deal with Manchester City, becoming the club's most expensive signing, with a reported £300,000 transfer fee. She quickly delivered — six goals and two assists in 11 WSL appearances — before an anterior cruciate ligament injury sidelined her midway through the 2023-24 season. Her comeback journey, Roord to Recovery, was charted in a documentary. Internationally, Roord has been a fixture for the Netherlands at every level since the under-15s, winning the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship in 2014. She broke into the senior squad in 2015 and played a key role in the team's fairytale run to the Euro 2017 title. Two years later, she scored in the 2019 World Cup opener against New Zealand and helped the Dutch finish runners-up. One of the most versatile players of her generation, Roord is a midfield powerhouse who can also thrive as a winger or up top. She scores, she creates, she controls the game. Roord does it all. Asli Pelit Salma Paralluelo Salma Paralluelo could have been a great track athlete, and not just because she is very fast with great physical prowess, but because she could have really dedicated herself to athletics professionally. She was 18 when Barcelona came knocking on her door and said: 'We want you, but you have to choose between football and athletics.' Until then, she had been able to combine both disciplines. She played for Villarreal and trained and competed in athletics at the same time. "You will have heard of Sydney McLaughlin (-Levrone), who broke the world record in the 400m hurdles. Or Allyson Felix, who dominated the 200m and 400m during her time. Well, Salma — at her age, without training — was achieving better times than both of them,' Felix Lagunas, Paralluelo's athletics coach, told The Athletic in 2023. 'If she had chosen athletics and injuries had respected her, she would have ended up in an athletics final at the Olympic Games for sure." In 2022, she left the track to devote herself 100 per cent to football. She is a winger who can play on both sides and stands out for her ability to speed past opponents. When she arrived, she had to work hard on her technique, as she had only been training part-time in football until then. She had to stop playing for four months to readjust her physique. In consultation with the club, she adapted training to her new life. Giving up athletics had an impact on her body and changes were required to avoid injury. Since doing so, she has returned to a high level with the team. She has improved technically and has been an important player for Pere Romeu's Barcelona and for Montse Tome with Spain. She was one of the big revelations of the World Cup in 2023. At only 19 years old, she scored to make it 2-1 in the 111th minute against Sweden in the quarter-final, and in the semi-finals, she made it 2-1 in the 81st minute against the Netherlands to send Spain to the final, where they beat England to lift the trophy. Since then, she has finished third in the Ballon d'Or rankings for two consecutive seasons. In 2023, she finished behind Aitana Bonmati and Sam Kerr, and in 2024 behind Bonmati and Caroline Graham Hansen. Laia Cervello Herrero Kadidiatou Diani In the March before the 2023 World Cup, Kadidiatou Diani joined France captain Wendie Renard and team-mate Marie-Antoinette Katoto in announcing her temporary withdrawal from the national team. Diani said she would put her international career on hold unless 'the necessary changes are made' as pressure mounted on former manager Corinne Diacre. It is not the only controversy Diani has been involved in. In June 2023, she lodged a complaint of sexual assault against her former Paris Saint-Germain manager, Didier Olle-Nicolle. The public prosecutor dismissed the case and Olle-Nicolle's lawyer said his client has always maintained he was 'the victim of false allegations'. In February 2022, at the Tournoi de France, then-PSG team-mates Katoto and Diani celebrated France's second goal against the Netherlands by making an 'A' symbol with their hands. Diani confirmed to the media after the game that it was a celebration in support of Aminata Diallo, a former PSG player who is now facing charges of aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy in connection with the attack on her former PSG team-mate Kheira Hamraoui. Diallo has always denied the charges. On the pitch, Diani shone in 2023. The 30-year-old forward, now at Lyon, is a potent attacking threat for club and country. A technical player, she drives at opponents and is a clinical finisher. Previously, she has played as centre-forward in the absence of Katoto, but she is much better suited to operating from the wing. Diani finished the 2022-23 season as the league's top scorer, with 17 goals, and was the division's player of the year. With Diacre dismissed four months before the World Cup, Diani made herself available again for the international team and finished the tournament as the second-highest scorer, with four goals (and three assists). Chelsea were very interested in signing her that summer but decided not to pursue. Lyon, however, took their chance, taking her from rivals PSG in August 2023 on a four-year deal. She walked into the starting XI for the 2023-2024 season and marked her first campaign at Lyon as the Champions League's top goalscorer. She was also named in the competition's team of the season, but was a notable omission from the Ballon d'Or list that year. In the season leading up to these Euros, Diani scored fewer times (nine) for Lyon but outperformed her expected goals (xG) value (5.1), showing she can be a clinical finisher. With friend Katoto leading the line and the livewire that is Sandy Baltimore on the opposite flank, France have a deadly triumvirate. Charlotte Harpur Selma Bacha Doctors said Selma Bacha would never be able to walk because she was so small. She flew to Tunisia, where her mother is from, for treatment and was looked after by her grandmother. As a consequence, she learned to walk much later than her peers. It is hard to imagine that when you watch her sprint up and down the left wing, either making recovery runs to defend or buccaneering overlaps on the attack. Despite her small stature of 5ft 3in (1.61m), the full-back holds her own, harries and hustles with defensive intelligence, but progresses the ball up the pitch, too. The 24-year-old can also unleash a bullet with her left foot, as demonstrated by her screamer against Wales in 2021, her first goal for France. At the 2023 World Cup, then-France boss Herve Renard pushed Bacha up as a winger and put Paris Saint-Germain's Sakina Karchaoui at left-back. The duo dovetailed brilliantly. When Karchaoui advanced the ball up the field, Bacha covered, and when Bacha came wide, Karchaoui drifted inside. The Lyon academy graduate injured her ankle in a warm-up game just before the start of the tournament and left the pitch in tears on a stretcher. She missed the opening match but played the next four of France's games before they were knocked out by hosts Australia in the quarter-final. More than a year later, having played more than 1,000 league minutes for Lyon and for France at the Paris Olympics in her home country, she eventually had surgery on her left ankle, forcing her to miss a large chunk of the 2024-2025 season. She has only played 414 league minutes this season, a significant drop-off compared to the previous three campaigns. 'I put my club and national team goals first,' she wrote on Instagram in August. 'I chose to grit my teeth and put off the operation I needed.' The defender calls Lyon her 'second family' and describes her blood as 'red and blue', the club's colours. Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor, Lyon's former academy director, was key in developing the player, who has been surrounded in the Lyon dressing room by legends such as Wendie Renard and Ada Hegerberg. Having spent 15 years at Lyon, many thought she might seek pastures new last year, when she was linked with Barcelona. But in December, the year in which American businesswoman and new CEO Michele Kang heavily invested in the women's team, Bacha signed a new deal, keeping her at the club until 2029. Charlotte Harpur Giulia Gwinn Giulia Gwinn may be best categorised as a full-back, but she is so much more than that. Her defensive strength is complemented by the technical acuity and spatial awareness of a central midfielder. The 25-year-old's game — for Bayern Munich, where she has played since 2019, and certainly for Germany — was that of a leader long before she inherited the national team captain's armband from the now-retired Alexandra Popp. Heavy question marks hang over Germany — they reached the Euro 2022 final but were knocked out in the group stage of the 2023 World Cup — but there are no doubts about Gwinn, who will celebrate her 26th birthday on the first day of the tournament. She is among the most prolific full-backs in women's football, scoring 14 times in 63 appearances for Germany, and is a penalty specialist. At these Euros, she will lead a relatively young, next-generation squad. "I think you sometimes have to touch on sore points,' she said last year following a disappointing 2-1 loss to France. Gwinn made headlines claiming that Germany had played 'scaredy-cat football'. 'I'm still young, but I've grown into a role in which I can talk about uncomfortable things. Specifically on the topic of 'scaredy-cat football': that came from the emotion after the game and I wasn't excluding myself from the criticism. It was about all of us, about our performance in the first half – myself included.' Having sat out the 2023 World Cup due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, this is a big tournament for Gwinn. She shone at the Olympics, but Germany need consistency to rebuild properly and Gwinn is undoubtedly at the centre of that. Tamerra Griffin Emma Koivisto A 'physical specimen' is how some at Liverpool fondly remember Finland full-back Emma Koivisto from her two-year spell in Merseyside between 2022 and 2024. The description had merit. Koivisto was known to cycle to Liverpool's Melwood training ground from her home in the city centre, a 10-mile round trip. That did not stop Koivisto — said to be well-liked by her team-mates and very humble — from 'running up and down the wing all day'. Now 30, she still possesses a seemingly indefatigable engine. For the Finland national team, Koivisto's energy has been her calling card since making her international debut in 2012. In those 13 years, she has shown her versatility as both a defender and midfielder, while learning the nuances and quirks of different styles across Europe. As well as Liverpool, Koivisto has played in England's Women's Super League for Brighton & Hove Albion, in Sweden's Damallsvenskan with BK Hacken and is now in Italy's Serie A with Milan. Koivisto has been one of the Italian side's best-performing players this season at both ends of the pitch. She ranked second in Serie A for progressive passes (154) and passes into the final third (134) for 2024-25, while ranking first in the league for blocks (45), eighth for dribblers tackled (25) and ninth for tackles won (34), according to Under Finland head coach Marko Saloranta, Koivisto has generally started at right-back. She started all 10 of their 2025 European qualifiers, which included beating Montenegro and Scotland in the play-off rounds. With Finland drawn into a tricky Group A alongside Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, Koivisto's prowess in defence and attack, as well as her experience on big stages, will be pivotal in her side's quest for the knockout stages. Megan Feringa Dominique Janssen That Dominique Janssen encourages meditation around the Netherlands training camp (and regularly prepares smoothies for team-mates) should be of no surprise. The Dutch defender's job on the pitch has regularly been to inject calm into proceedings. This has also been her job at Manchester United this season since joining last summer on a free transfer from Wolfsburg. That is just one of her duties, of course, alongside sitting in front of United's defence to ensure every blade of grass is covered, making sure the back four do not get too deep so they can press higher up, and using her recovery pace, aerial power and ability to read opposition attacks to help keep United's clean-sheet record glistening at 13 (joint top with title-winners Chelsea). If you do not already recognise, you will in the coming weeks. Her displays deep in United's midfield were key to their third-place league finish and subsequent Champions League qualification, as well as a third trip to the FA Cup final. Janssen has a glittering CV, having won the Frauen Bundesliga twice and DFB-Pokal five times with Wolfsburg; the WSL title, League Cup and FA Cup with Arsenal; and the 2017 European Championship with the Netherlands. She operates in a different role for her country, usually playing as a centre-back rather than the deep-lying midfield position she has occupied for United. 'She makes you defend less in the back line because she covers more in the midfield line,' said United head coach Marc Skinner when asked about using her in midfield. Janssen also offers a threat further forward, as United's 4-0 win against Liverpool in December 2024 showed. The midfielder grabbed a goal and provided two assists, a sign of the progressive passing and attacking role she is capable of playing. But it is the space that Janssen covers, along with her proven versatility in defensive positions, that makes her an invaluable asset. 'If you take away the ball stuff in prior games, she offers a lot of coverage and she covers gaps we couldn't cover last year,' Skinner said after the 4-0 victory against Liverpool. 'There's a lot of space covering that doesn't necessarily always lead to chances, but they put you off playing that chance. We're covering spaces really well now.' Megan Feringa Glodis Viggosdottir You might not know the name Glodis Viggosdottir, but if you caught the Algarve Cup in 2015, you may well remember the Iceland centre-back who made headlines by single-handedly shutting down United States Women's National Team stars Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach. Her performance earned Iceland a hard-fought 0-0 draw. Since 2021, Viggosdottir has played for Bayern Munich, where she earned her first career trophy by winning the 2022-23 Frauen Bundesliga. She has since won two further league titles with the German club. In an interview with Bayern's members' magazine, she explained that her success came from her Icelandic attitude. 'In Iceland, we don't stress so much about every little thing,' she said. 'We say: 'petta reddast'. That means it will work out somehow.' The combination of a relaxed attitude and inner grit has paid off. In 2023, she was named Bayern captain and secured a contract extension until 2026. A year later, she made history as the first Icelandic player to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or Feminin. The 30-year-old spent the first part of her career playing at home in Iceland. Spells in Denmark and Sweden followed, but it was on the international stage where her performances were able to reach a wider audience. She made her debut with the national team in 2012 when she was only 17 and was one of the trusted players of the 2013 Euros, missing all but one game as Iceland reached the quarter-finals for the first time. While Iceland struggled at the 2017 and 2022 Euros, the outlook for 2025 is far more ambitious. They have a squad brimming with talent and experience. Led by Viggosdottir — capped 133 times — they are hopeful of making it into the knockout stages. Asli Pelit Andreia Jacinto The first thing you will notice about Andreia Jacinto is her headband: a thick, black strap that holds back her long brown hair. Everyone asks her about it: her mum, her team-mates, the media. The Athletic even did it. She likes it. It makes her Jacinto. Another thing that makes Jacinto, Jacinto? Her vision and ability to conjure big moments. The 22-year-old operates in pulses and Portugal will need their Real Sociedad midfielder to be at her best this summer. Without Barcelona's Kika Nazareth (who will miss the tournament with an ankle injury), Jacinto is their player to watch for good reason. Despite representing a team that finished 11th in the most recent Liga F season, Jacinto finished in the top 10 for progressive passes (third, with 238), key passes (joint eighth, with 49), passes into the final third (fifth, with 221), and passes into the penalty area (seventh, with 43). Throughout most of the campaign, Jacinto ranked highly in all of these categories, eclipsed only by stars such as Mapi Leon, Aitana Bonmati, Claudia Pina and Caroline Graham Hansen of Barcelona. That Jacinto only registered six league assists and dropped lower in the end-of-season rankings is a reflection of Real Sociedad's difficult end to the season. But there is still excitement brewing around the former Sporting CP player. In May, she extended her contract until 2026, but she is bound to have suitors this time next year, and clubs in England have already shown an interest. Jacinto has major tournament experience, having played in all three of Portugal's 2023 World Cup group-stage matches. She started their 2-0 victory against Vietnam, a match which represented not only their first World Cup goal, but also their first World Cup victory. Her recent positive club displays have coincided with more consistent game time and responsibility at international level. In Euros qualifying, she started eight of Portugal's 10 fixtures, missing the final group match against Malta and the second leg of Portugal's qualifying first round play-off against Azerbaijan (Portugal won the first leg 1-0). In Switzerland, eyes will be on Jacinto to help Portugal make it out of the group stages and be the dark horses many have tipped them to be. Megan Feringa Emma Severini Some youngsters explode into being international players out of nowhere, while others have always been expected to reach the top. Emma Severini is the latter. A former captain of both Italy's under-17 and under-19 sides, she was spoken about as a future captain of Roma, too. But there she had lots of competition for a midfield place, and three years ago elected to return to Fiorentina, the club where she had spent much of her youth career. The difference was that upon her return, Severini was playing in a different position. In her earlier days, she was generally deployed at centre-back, but now she is unquestionably a commanding, intelligent central midfielder. In statistical terms, she played more successful through balls than anyone else in Serie A. In wider terms, she was voted the best midfielder in the division. At international level, she was first included in Milena Bertolini's national squad ahead of the last European Championship in 2022, although she ultimately failed to make the cut. She was selected for Italy's ill-fated World Cup 2023 campaign, more as a learning experience than anything else. She has really come to the fore over the past year, being handed her first start by new coach Andrea Soncin for a friendly against Malta in Rome. She instantly looked at home, recording four assists in Italy's 5-0 win — the only exception was an own goal. In April, she scored her first international goal, netting inside 20 seconds in an eventual 3-2 defeat by Sweden in Stockholm. In truth, she is yet to develop into a consistent goal threat, which is not surprising for a 21-year-old converted centre-back, although she scored a wonderful left-footed curler, despite being right-footed, from an acute angle against Sampdoria this season. She also takes Fiorentina's penalties and is good at delivering set pieces. The injury suffered by Giulia Dragoni, another promising young Italian midfielder, means Severini is even more likely to start this summer. Much depends on the role of Manuela Giugliano, likely to play as a deep midfielder rather than the No 10 position she is often deployed in at Roma. That will likely mean Severini playing to the left of a midfield trio and being asked to push forward. Spain are likely to win Group B, but Italy have a good chance of getting through as runners-up, which would mean a winnable quarter-final against Group A opposition in Bern. Michael Cox Sydney Schertenleib Sydney Schertenleib entered the field in the 85th minute of the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Barcelona and Wolfsburg. Three minutes later, she dribbled past the German side's defence near the edge of the box, took a moment to think, then sent a brilliant shot into the top corner, the ball bouncing off the crossbar and into the only place the goalkeeper could not reach. Schertenleib — tall, slender and with braided hair — turned to Aitana Bonmati, who was next to her, with a look of disbelief on her face. Meanwhile, everyone was wondering where this player had come from. She had just introduced herself to the world. She had been making a name for herself with Switzerland's under-17 team for a couple of years. Barcelona's scouts had noticed her at the Women's Under-17 Championship, but it was later on, during a visit to Spain with Switzerland, that they decided they wanted to sign her. It took the Catalan club's scouts just three minutes to make that judgement after seeing her play in the flesh. At that stage, she did not have an agent, so when they had to write their report on her, they realised the only way to contact her was through Instagram. They sent her a direct message asking for the contact details of someone who could act as her guardian so they could start negotiations. Shortly afterwards, she joined the Spanish giants, standing out during pre-season before the 2024-25 season. The plan was for her to play with Barca B, but it did not take her long to attract attention from those involved in the senior side, with members of the first-team coaching staff impressed with her right from the very first training session. She is versatile, an elegant attacking midfielder who can also play as a winger. She has confidence, individual talent, passing ability and a knack for scoring goals. She is one of the most promising players in her position in Europe. This summer comes early in her career, but she has the capacity to be the star of the show for the host nation. Laia Cervello Herrero Grace Clinton In December 2023, Grace Clinton told The Athletic that one of her New Year's resolutions was to make her England debut. The 22-year-old achieved that goal in February 2024, starting and scoring in a 7-2 friendly win against Austria. Sixteen months on from her debut, Clinton could be a very influential figure in England's midfield at this summer's Euros. Grace by name, graceful by nature, she glides when in possession, opening up her stride as she advances up the pitch. She is very tidy on the ball and can turn out of trouble well in tight spaces. A versatile midfielder, Clinton can play as a No 8 or No 10 and has even played as a false nine at youth level. She plays a similar position for club as she does for country. Her finishing technique is crisp and clean, while her line-breaking passes are well-timed and weighted. She registered the most through balls (eight) in the WSL during 2024-25. Having progressed through the ranks at Everton's academy, she signed for Manchester United in 2022 before being sent out on loan to Championship side Bristol City in January 2023. The youngster wanted game time in 2023-24 and got it during her season-long loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur, where she flourished. After returning to United, Clinton became an established member of the first team, starting 19 out of 21 games and scoring eight goals. For England, she has often filled the gap left by stalwart Georgia Stanway, who has been injured since the end of January. Stanway will be Clinton's biggest competition in the No 8 role, while club team-mate Ella Toone, Jess Park and Lauren James are all vying for a place as the starting No 10. 'Grace wants to be a hybrid between a No 8 and a No 10, in terms of the quality of a No 10 but the engine of a No 8,' said United head coach Marc Skinner in May. By engine, Skinner meant the energy needed to run box to box, track runners into her team's defensive penalty area, and break into attacking areas. Clinton's quality is evident, but Skinner wanted to see her 'energy' and 'commitment', which she showed in United's 2-2 draw with Manchester City on the penultimate day of the season. In December, Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman called for consistency from the Liverpudlian, especially defensively, to stay 'switched on at all times' and understand the 'bigger picture, not only her own task'. The key now is whether Clinton can regularly repeat her high-level performances in a major tournament. Charlotte Harpur Vicky Lopez Vicky Lopez embodies the new generation of Spanish footballers. She arrived at Barcelona in 2022 at the age of 16 from Madrid CFF to play for Barca B, but she made her first-team debut that same year. She became the youngest player in the club's professional era, playing her first senior game for the club at the age of 16 years and 148 days. That season, she played 13 matches, but it was not until 2023-24 that she really became part of the plans of Jonatan Giraldez, the first-team coach at the time. She played 36 matches, including eight in the Champions League. She scored nine goals that season, earning her a call-up to the Spanish senior national team to play in the Olympic Games in the summer of 2024. She also officially joined the first team and, months later, renewed her contract until 2028. Her performances last season earned her the 2024 Golden Girl award. She is a highly technical attacking midfielder who has always shown herself to be ahead of her age. Before she made her mark at Barca, her beautiful goals in the Spanish youth leagues had already gone viral. During the 2024-25 campaign, she scored 11 goals in all competitions for Barca. She has great ball control, the ability to lose her markers, and is a confident finisher. On top of all that, her speed makes her special,both quick on the ball and in her movements. She also has great charisma that she transfers to the pitch. In fact, she has a good relationship with another Barca teenager, Lamine Yamal, who has been seen attending women's matches at the Johan Cruyff Stadium on more than one occasion this season. Lopez is young and has a bright future, but she is also a force to be reckoned with right now. Laia Cervello Herrero This article originally appeared in The Athletic. England, Wales, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Iceland, Premier League, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company
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England have depth, dynamism and a clear identity heading into Euro 2025
As a showpiece occasion to send England off to the European Championship, there was no shortage of pomp and ceremony in their 7-0 win against Jamaica. Fans inside Leicester City's King Power Stadium were treated to pre-match pyrotechnics, a giant England flag display and a ceremony after the game to hammer home the Lionesses' status as they head to Switzerland. Advertisement For anyone who has not been paying attention in the past three years, Sarina Wiegman's team are one of the dominant powers in world football. And for the first time — unlike at the World Cup two years ago when they reached the final — they have something to defend. The Euros trophy was in the stadium as a visible reminder of the expectation this time around. Follow the Women's Euros on The Athletic The Radar: 25 players to watch for '25 Team guides: All 16 competing nations profiled Group guides: Key matches, dark horses, players to watch The win was as comprehensive as you might hope against a team 35 places below them in the world rankings. Goals from Ella Toone (two), Lucy Bronze, Georgia Stanway, Alessia Russo, Aggie Beever-Jones and Beth Mead sent England off on a high. Advertisement Even though the players looked baffled by the on-pitch ceremony at full time, the scale of the spectacle showed the Lionesses are bigger and more popular than ever. But are they better? There is a case to be made for the current squad being in a stronger position now than when they travelled to Australia and New Zealand for the World Cup two years ago. Young players look primed to step up. Beever-Jones, who has scored four goals in three England games, Grace Clinton and Michelle Agyemang are all compelling options to use from the bench and the blend of youth and experience feels right. Players who were in that kind of position three years ago — Alessia Russo, Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly — are now all firmly established as senior members of the squad. Advertisement When it matters, this iteration of Wiegman's England has the potential to be more dynamic, even if the hallmarks of the identity of the team from their past tournament campaigns are plain to see. On occasion, when playing in tricky Nations League matches and Euro qualifiers, England have been challenged for being too predictable and one-dimensional. Belgium twice had their number and pulled off surprise results in the past 18 months. Determining just when a clear identity becomes a tactical straitjacket is a fine line to walk. There have been times in the past few years when England and Wiegman have not got that balance right. But when it matters in major tournaments, such as against Spain at the last Euros or Colombia at the World Cup, England have regularly shown the ability to adapt or find a moment of individual brilliance to break free. Advertisement They undoubtedly still have their weaknesses. A disallowed goal for Jamaica in the first half, which would have taken the score to 1-1 but for a VAR ruling of offside against Kiki van Zanten, highlighted how England can sometimes be caught napping. Being exposed on the break, as well as opponents using pace down the wings, also look like vulnerabilities. 'We played a good game, we expected to be in the final third a lot because we knew over the week that Jamaica had a few players not available,' Wiegman said. 'So we expected to have the ball a lot. We scored seven goals, which was really good. It could have been more with a more patient final pass and being a little bit more composed. But at the same time, scoring seven times and having some more opportunities to score is really good. 'The first half, they scored from the corner and we wanted to do that better but that was disallowed. We were lucky there and we did better in the second half. We know that next week we have to take our game to the next level. But we wanted to play a good game and entertain the fans, get everyone ready for next week and get everyone fit out of this game.' Despite the unexpected absences of Mary Earps and Millie Bright, this England squad is as strong as could be hoped for. The same could not be said for the World Cup squad when Bright was patched up after a knee injury and captain Leah Williamson and Beth Mead were among the injury absences. Advertisement England look like the England we have come to know under Wiegman, a team that has thrived in the past two tournaments. While some might see that as a sign of weakness and evidence of a lack of evolution, Wiegman's players will hold on to that identity as a strong foundation. It brings with it a weight of expectation that they will compete at every major tournament. That is an evolution in itself since the wide-eyed wonder and element of surprise — tactically and emotionally — that came with winning the last Euros on home soil. For a long time, that change of mentality to develop a winner's ego was the topic of discussion. Now they know their status and embrace it. Is this England team the best yet under Wiegman? The definitive answer will come if Williamson gets her hands on the trophy again on July 27. For now, the signs are encouraging. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. England, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company
