LONDON, United Kingdom, Oct 8 – Women’s football has been a force to be reckoned with for many years now, but this year’s UEFA award nominees just go to highlight the strength and depth in the European game.
Last season, despite being delayed by the global COVID 19 pandemic, was full of high-quality play, and all the excitement and controversy you’d expect from the elite level sport.
The Champions League final was won for a record 7th time by Lyon, defeating Wolfsburg 3-1 at Anoeta, San Sebastián, with a player from either side touted as the best in Europe.
And since then, the shortlist for the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award has been whittled down to three contenders: Pernille Harder of Chelsea, WendieRenard of Lyon, and last year’s winner Lucy Bronze of Manchester City.
Lucy Bronze
Born Lucia Tough Bronze on the remote island off Lindisfarne, Lucy Bronze has established herself as an immovable force of English women’s football, earning many accolades.
After playing for Sunderland and in the US for North Carolina Tar Heels (where she won the NCAA cup and was honored as an All American), she became one of the first full-time women’s players with Liverpool.
Voted English player of the year in 2014 and 2017 she then moved to Manchester City, helping the club to succeed with the league title and the FA Cup in 2016.
In 2017 she scored in the semi-final of the Champions League against Lyon, and while the game ended in a loss to the French giants, they promptly signed her up. She helped Lyon to Champions League success the following season and a treble in 2018/19.
The 2020 Champions League final, a 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg, was a fitting swan song for her career in France. She has returned to Manchester City.
The winner of the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year last time out, she also has a distinguished international career, winning the Silver Ball at the 2019 World Cup.
Pernille Harder
With her move from Wolfsburg to Chelsea this year, Pernille Harder became the most expensive player in women’s football history.
Born in the small Danish town of Ikast in 1992, she played for Skovbakken until her first real break with Swedish side Linköpings.
In 2015 she scored 17 goals in 22 games for the club and helped them to back-to-back victories in the Swedish Cup in 2014 and 2015.
Signing for German high-flyers Wolfsburg she won the double four years on the trot, between 2016 and 2020, and in 75 appearances for the club, she amassed a total of 68 goals.
However, heartbreak was to follow, despite a momentous run in the 2017/18 Champions League, Wolfsburg surrendered a 1-0 lead to lose 4-1 to Lyon in the final.
Two years later history repeated itself, with Lyon triumphing 3-1 this time.
After that defeat, it was announced that Chelsea had made a successful bid for Harder, rumored to be in excess of £250,000.
Harder said: “I’m excited to just play for such a big club, to play with so many amazing players and to also be playing in the league.
The English league, it’s so exciting at the moment and I’m really looking forward to it.” She previously won the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year in 2018.
Wendie Renard
Born in Martinique, the youngest of four daughters, Renard felt she had a point to prove. And prove it she has – the sight of her lifting the Champions League trophy has become an iconic image of women’s football.
Lyon, the club she captains, has won the tournament for the last five years, with seven titles in nine finals – a formidable record.
She joined the club in 2006 aged just sixteen, winning her first French title with the club in her debut season. As a centre-back, she became the lynchpin of a team that went on – and continues – to dominate in France and in Europe.
A remarkable run of 14 straight French titles and the previously mentioned Champions League success has made Lyon the most successful club in women’s football history.
And Renard has shone for France in international competition, captaining the side since 2013, with three goals (as a defender) in the 2019 World Cup.
Three powerhouses of the women’s game, Bronze, Harder, and Renard are all worthy winners of the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award.
Their unprecedented success has increased the appeal of domestic and European competitions to the wider audience, including those betting on results.
The next Women’s UEFA, scheduled to kick off on October 21st with Denmark vs. Israel, and the men’s UEFA Champions League with Zenit vs. Club Brugge on October 20th, are set to be the fire-starters of the season.
Fans fall into two categories, those preparing their bets based on their knowledge of the teams, and those leaving strategy out by guessing the winning scores of the football league halves or final results, with providers like Sportstake 8/Sportstake 13.
With its greater and greater game potential, guessing the winning points in the women’s game has been recognized as one of the most interesting brain teasers.
