[ad_pod ]

The 2019 Women’s World Cup kicked off in Paris on Friday evening as the host nation took on South Korea. What follows is a month-long extravaganza of football featuring some of the best players on the planet and while fascination lies in whether USA can retain their crown or whether indeed Phil Neville’s England team can shake up the world we’re concentrating here on those very individuals who make their side tick - the special few who get you out of your seat no matter your allegiance.

Danielle van de Donk (Netherlands)

To state that the 27-year-old is ‘unshowy’ might seem a disservice. After all, Oranje’s number 10 is hardly immune to a clever flick or turn while 11 goals in 18 starts for Arsenal Women last term as the Gunners comfortably secured the Super League is illustration of her attacking prowess.

Van de Donk though is far more than a creative outlet and infinitely more than a luxury. Her all-action commitment relentlessly drives club and country on and you are as likely to see her dropping deep and winning back possession as you are admiring her passing range and appreciation of space.

Signed by Arsenal from Goteborg in 2015 she first gained wider attention with a series of outstanding performances in the 2017 Euros and it was she who broke English hearts with the deciding second goal in the semi-finals. That particular match incidentally says a great deal about the 5ft 3 all-rounder because after winning the Player of the Match she insisted it was shared with her team-mates.

For what it’s worth the Valkenswaard-born star also has a strong Twitter game.

Lina Magull (Germany)

The Bayern Munich star boasts a scoring ratio across her career that any six-yard predator would be proud of yet – like Van de Donk – so often it falls to the 24-year-old midfielder to start attacks from deep. Magull is the first player the Bayern back-line look for when in need of an easy ‘out’ and still she has scored so frequently for Freiburg and her current employers.

Her energy impresses, as too her ease in possession but mostly what makes the two-time Champions League winner stand out is an undeviating desire to make things happen. There are a number of reasons why Germany are this summer’s second favourites. Magull is one of them.

Megan Rapinoe (USA)

USWNT have lost only once in the past two-and-a-half years and have a squad packed with household names, so unquestionably they are the nation to beat and that certainty only grows when you consider the vast experience in their ranks.

Their forward line alone – made up of Alex Morgan, Tobin Heath, and Rapinoe – have 466 international caps between them while the now-peripheral Carli Lloyd may be 36 but she’d still be the best forward for any other competitor in France.

This most probably will be Rapinoe’s last major tournament and the veteran Californian assist queen will want to go out on a high, creating chances and making headlines for refraining to sing the national anthem in protest of the Trump administration. Such controversies however are the least interesting thing about the 33-year-old whose vision and impact on the pitch have raised the bar for others to reach.

Debinha (Brazil)

Debora Cristiane de Oliveira was an integral figure in Brazil’s Copa America Femenina triumph last year and though it may be semi-sacrilegious to suggest such a thing, she is increasingly taking the mantle of being As Canarinhas’ most important player from stonewall legend Marta.

The diminutive schemer played a significant role in North Carolina Courage winning their first ever NWSL Championship in 2018 and goes into this tournament understandably believing that everything she touches with her twinkling feet turns to gold.

Nikita Parris (England)

With a SheBelieves Cup in the trophy cabinet the Lionesses head across the channel full of belief that a memorable summer awaits them and why the hell not? At the back Lucy Bronze and Steph Houghton can each lay claim to being among the best defenders globally while up front new Lyon recruit Nikita Parris is in fine goal-scoring form after bagging 19 for Manchester City last season.

The FWA Women’s Footballer of the Year has scored more goals than anyone else in the WSL with 47 but offers so much more than proficiency to Neville’s new-look side. Her pace, guile and quick feet make her a nightmare to mark and there is a toughness to the Toxteth-raised striker that’s an invaluable commodity when navigating the pressure and intensity of a drawn-out major tournament.

“I’ve grown not just as a player but as a person,” the 24-year-old said recently. “But my passion will always remain.”