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Players of the new century: the top 7 women's football stars to watch out for in Europe born after 2000

With last season's Women's Champions League finally over and this season's tournament set to begin, it is the moment to cast our eyes towards the present and future of what we can expect to see on this world stage. The visibility and prestige of women's football in Europe is on the rise, and there's seven players in particular who will be experiencing a rise of similarly great calibre as the game as a whole. this year's All born in the new century, they have each one of them have left their mark on the pitch and in the media already, but their ages show that their careers and ability have only just begun.

FIFA Women′s World Cup: Lena Oberdorf – The 17-year-old student ...

Lena Oberdorf (18): Could this list even be considered credible without including this player of the future who to many is already a star of the present? At the World Cup what caught most people’s eye initially was her age and the fact that she was taking her final school exams at the same time. Now, one year later, she has just played in her first Champions League final.  However, after watching her for both club and country, what should now draw people in is her versatility, skill and strength on the pitch, taking on various positions and mastering them all. Her move to Wolfsburg is going to allow her to nurture and grow her talent even more. She is more than worthy of being one of the youngest players to ever sign such a large deal with a world class club and both her and Wolfsburg will benefit immensely from this over the coming years.

Lauren Hemp Discusses her Rapid Rise as Her First Cup Final and ...

Lauren Hemp (19): This potent player is not talked about enough in international media yet. At the age of just seventeen she won the PFA's young player of the year award for her performance at Bristol City. Since then she has already consolidated herself in Manchester City’s starting lineup and is on her way to do the same in the Lionesses squad. When on the pitch she holds complete command of the wing, playing with a confidence and intelligence which outruns her age. It is refreshing to see her play for England as she has the potential to be able to bring a different, stronger, dynamic and broader, more adventurous, skillset which the squad is generally lacking at the moment.

Claudia Pina: “Es un sueño hecho realidad”

Claudia Pina (18): Although her facial features give away just how young this player is, you would never be able to tell by her performances on the pitch due to her incredible talent and even more incredible potential. Her natural talent is palpable in her technical ability full of all the usual Spanish flair on top of her own individual creativity. She’s also a killer in front of the goal playing the last few season for FC Barcelona B as well as the youth national teams where she won the under-17 world cup with Spain bagging the golden boot and golden ball as well. At a senior team level, she has a few matches to her name for Barça A too, making her debut for the seniors over two years ago. She has now been loaned out to Sevilla to ensure she gets the development needed in the first division before most likely returning to Barcelona and shining for the first team. Two more years into the future and she’ll be undoubtedly making waves internationally.

Huitema discusses Coupe de France semi-final and PSG preparation ...

Jordyn Huitema (19): There are few North American players of such high calibre who decide to forgo the collegiate to nwsl system, but Huitema is one of them. Instead of following the usual pathway, she jumped on a plane all the way to Paris to show the world what she can already do at the age of 18. And she’s been doing exactly that, she’s as sharp shooting as they come and her four year deal with PSG will allow her to develop her skills and talent even further. She’s also already made her mark in the Canadian national team, consolidating her reputation at both the World Cup and in the CONCAAF match in which her goal will take Canada straight to the Olympics where I’m sure she’ll be given the opportunity to shine even further.

Lauren James (18): She just signed her first professional contract in December last year and yet she’s already one of the highest paid players in the WSL. And rightly so as she’s made waves within Manchester United, the league as a whole and apparently Lyon - who has already made attempts to woo her. They are quick off the mark in doing so as she has technical talent and shooting ability coursing through every vein in her body. The fact that she has scored 26 goals in 46 appearances for United is just the tip of the iceberg which shows her footballing ability. Definitely a player to fear in the future when going up against her, or to be very grateful of her presence if she’s on your team. 

El golazo de Eva Navarro hace campeona de Europa a la sub-17 | Deportes | Fútbol | Cadena SER

Eva Navarro (19): She may be the least talked about player on this list, especially as there are quite a few other talented youth players in the Levante, her previous team, and Spain u23 squads that may get most attention. But as one of the youngest of the crop she has got a very bright future ahead of her and is one of the players that was surely take the Spanish senior squad to new heights in the coming years. Although she’s one of the players currently caught up in the warpath of the youth training transfer clause controversy, many clubs are fighting to sign her because of her deadly shot, her bubbling potential as a centre forward and the quality of her play on the pitch. It now seems very likely that she'll be donning all white next year, becoming the latest addition to Real Madrid's star student squad. The fact that she has been so sought after by the club is truly a testament to what she is capable of achieving.

WATCH: Emily Murphy wraps up Chelsea's eight-goal fest against West Ham - We Ain't Got No History

Emily Murphy (17): by far the youngest on this list and certainly the one who still has the most to prove within a senior set up. With that being said, her performances this year at Chelsea have made a lot of people stand to attention, with her contributions on the pitch also being crucial for the success of the young Lionesses. Making her senior squad debut and scoring her first WSL goal all at the age of 16 goes to show the confidence that manager Emma Hayes already has in her as well as Murphy's own developed talent and confidence. Calm, composed and ruthless in front of the goal, Murphy - with her big personality and even bigger skill set - will no doubt soon be consolidating herself within Chelsea’s senior squad before then receiving call-ups for the national team.


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