Lucy Bronze
Defender for Manchester City and England, last season with Olympique Lyonnais.
“Being in this World 11 is a huge honour. It’s fantastic to know that everybody in the world thinks you are the best player in your position for that season.”
“The award means a lot. It is voted for by players, your peers, people that you play with, people that you play against week in week out. They recognise that you worked hard for it. That’s why it is the most special award.”
“Looking back at last season, my biggest accomplishment would be winning the Champions League with Lyon. I had a successful season with Lyon, winning all the trophies. Then I came to City and started of my second spell at the club with a new trophy, which was really good. But winning the Champions League is the main accomplishment. It is the one trophy everyone’s got marked on the calendar.”
“It is definitely special to win my third World 11 award. Being able to stay at the top is probably the most difficult thing. I remember being told by a coach that getting to the top is the easy bit, staying there is the most difficult. So many other girls are trying to do it, like Wendie Renard, who has been at the top for that long. Being able to have a small piece of what she has been able to do, is something that I am very proud of.”
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Christiane Endler
Goalkeeper for Paris Saint-Germain and Chile
“I am very delighted to receive this award, and that I am considered one of the best players in the world by my teammates as well as all the other women that play football.”
“It is an honour and a reward for all the work that I have done during the past year.”
“It is incredible. I never imagined being part of this group. I have the greatest respect for all the players who are elected on the World 11, as well as the players who are not in it. It is very difficult to get on the team. It is complicated being a goalkeeper and to win.”
“I think they like how I play and they appreciate the safety that I deliver to the team, besides how I complement the team in general.”
Vivianne Miedema
Forward for Arsenal and the Netherlands
“I think I have told it about 300,000 times, I am not playing football for individual trophies. However, it is great to know that I have been voted in the World 11 by other professional footballers. It is the biggest honour you can receive. I play against them, each week. They know how good you are and if they are of the opinion that I belong in the team, then that makes me very proud.”
“I think I have shown that I am very good in doing my thing for a longer period, scoring and creating chances in attack. I have always performed well, both at Arsenal and at the Dutch national team. As a striker, they judge you by the number of goals you make. I have always been very good at that.”
“I have a lot of freedom at Arsenal. I am allowed to do more than just score goals, and we also have a lot of quality players on the pitch surrounding me. That makes it a lot easier for me to perform well.”
“My best moment? That was back in October, when I scored three goals in the derby against Tottenham Hotspur and became the all-time top goal scorer in the WSL.”
Veronica Boquete
Midfielder for AC Milan
“It was a surprise that I am in the World 11. I knew I was on the list of 55, but I think I didn’t deserve it this year. Maybe the other players also considered my whole career when they voted for me. However, if I am chosen by the players, so I should accept it and be grateful. It is a big honour when you are selected by your peers. It shows the respect, love and appreciation that the other players have for me.”
“Maybe I deserved to win it another year, but then someone else did. It shows that it is really a special achievement to make it on the team. Knowing how the game is developing, it will only get harder and harder to do so.”
“For me, it is also a motivation to keep performing at the highest level, even though I am nearing the end of my career.”
Barbara Bonansea
Midfielder for Juventus and Italy
“If I consider where I started from, then finding myself here today among the best eleven players in the world seems almost surreal to me. It makes me proud knowing the road I took and the sacrifices that I’ve made. This is a recognition that brings me even more desire to improve and work hard every day.”
“I am surprised and very happy that many colleagues have voted for me. To be honest, I did not expect it.”
“I have to say thanks to my club, who have always believed in me; to the national team and to all my teammates, because it is them that I share a large part of my life with. They allow me to be myself on the pitch.”
“This award belongs to all Italian footballers, because at this particular moment, we are one: from those who are starting to fight stereotypes, to those like me who are fighting for the rights we deserve.”
“I think that, in recent years, Italian women’s football has made great strides, especially with the beautiful path at the World Cup and the path taken by big clubs such as Juventus. Now everyone is enjoying our game and that makes me happy.”
Pernille Harder
Forward for Chelsea and Denmark, last year with VfL Wolfsburg
“This award, the World 11, is a great recognition from all the players in the world. Of course that means something extra: its fellow football players that have voted for me to be in this World 11.”
“My greatest accomplishment? I think it’s difficult to say one thing. Overall, I think it has been an exceptional season. Of course, scoring 27 goals in a single season is maybe something that will be difficult to repeat, but winning the double with Wolfsburg four years in a row is also a big accomplishment. My transfer to Chelsea has also been something big for me, so it’s really difficult to pick out just one thing! It’s been a special year.”
Millie Bright
Defender for Chelsea and England
“Being named in the FIFA FIFPRO World 11 leaves me speechless. Since signing for Chelsea and becoming professional, I’ve always said my aim was to be the best defender in the world, be a defender that every striker remembers.”
“It’s reassuring that all the hard work and sacrifices you make to be the best player and athlete every single day are paying off. This is something I’m so proud of myself. No matter how tough the journey has been or how many people doubted me, I’ve never given in and never will.”
“I’m truly honoured to be named amongst such talented players, the best players in the world and would like to thank everyone who voted. This encourages me on to be even better, so here’s to the future.”
Delphine Cascarino
Midfielder for Olympique Lyonnais and France
“This award is a great recognition. It is an honour for me to be part of this World 11. And this award is all the more beautiful because I have received the award thanks to the votes of players around the world.”
“I think that my performances during the final tournament of the Champions League counted heavily for this vote. This victory - the fifth for me - was already my best memory from last season. I realize that it might have been decisive for me being in this incredible 11, which makes it even more beautiful.”
“But I don't forget that football is a team sport. I am fortunate to be part of an incredible team with amazing teammates without whom I would never have been able to get this award. Thank you to my team and thank you also to my club, Olympique Lyonnais.”
Megan Rapinoe
Forward for OL Reign and the United States of America
(From her Twitter account) “I am obviously very honoured to have been recognized by my peers around the world who vote for the FIFPRO World 11. At the same time, it did come as a surprise to me that I met the criteria for selection as I haven’t played in a match since March (2021, here I come!).”
“We have so many phenomenal female players around the world and all of us need to do what we can do to recognize them. The fact that I was selected once again sheds lights on the fact that in order to push our game forward, we need continued investment in the women’s game to give more female players the opportunity to be seen on TV in their home countries and globally while performing for club and country.”
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