WSL and UWCL players to watch in 2025: Who will become a household name?

The start of a new year will leave a lot of younger players hoping that 2025 will bring them the break-out moment that turns them into a household name.

With a European Championship taking place in Switzerland in the summer, there will be even more of a rush for youngsters to prove themselves on the biggest stages of all.

Last year, picked out players such as Grace Clinton, Maika Hamano and Naomi Layzell as those set to have a big 2024. This year, there is a record-breaking Spanish forward, a 20-year-old Sweden player who cannot stop scoring, and a 19-year-old midfielder making a splash at Chelsea.

Ruby Mace, Leicester City

Ruby Mace is a player who has long felt on the cusp of greatness but only now seems well set to actually made good on her promise.

Having made her debut for Arsenal at 17, a move to Manchester City saw her development stymied with only 29 appearances over three years. A transfer to Leicester City in the summer has seen her finally get the steady flow of minutes she needs to progress, and a first senior England appearance has been her reward.

Coming through at Arsenal, Mace was predominantly a centre-back but during her time at City she largely played as a defensive midfielder. It is a position England have long lacked depth, although Mace is stylistically very different from the incumbent, Keira Walsh, as more of a ball-winner whose defensive roots means she excels at tackles and interceptions. It is unsurprising that she has thrived in teams where defending is a priority such as Leicester, and in a previous loan at Birmingham City — she will have to further hone the creative side of her game if she is to make that final push back towards the top of WSL.

Lexi Potter, Crystal Palace

For England, it looks like it may be a case of waiting an age for a new defensive midfielder and then two coming along at once.

Lexi Potter has played every minute of the WSL season so far for Crystal Palace, save for their match against her parent club Chelsea, from where she has been on loan since the start of Palace’s Championship promotion season of 2023-24. Potter has looked perfectly comfortable with the step up in level despite having only turned 18 in August. No other player under the age of 21 has played as many minutes of WSL football this season.

Potter is a strong passer of the ball, while the defensive side of her game has clearly benefited from her time at Palace. She is probably unlikely to make a run at the senior England side in time for Euro 2025, but if she continues to develop at the rate she has so far it should not be too much longer.

Ellen Wangerheim, Hammarby

Ellen Wangerheim has been playing senior football since the age of 16, with the Sweden forward only getting better year on year. Both her and her club made their Champions League debuts this season and, despite being eliminated at the group stage, showed some spirited performances. With 23 goals in her last 47 league appearances for Hammarby, Wangerheim’s talents as a goalscorer are obvious, but she has also shown herself as positionally versatile by playing behind a striker or out wide. 

Wangerheim is yet to make a senior appearance for Sweden, although she was called up to the squad in 2024. However, with an increasingly ageing forward line in the national team, Wangerheim looks like a natural option to freshen up the attack moving forward. If it is does not happen ahead of Euro 2025, it should not be long after.

Vicky Lopez, Barcelona

The 2024 Golden Girl award-winner first caught the eye when she was playing for Madrid CFF, where she became the youngest player ever to debut in the Spanish league at 15 years old. A move to Barcelona quickly followed, where records have continued to tumble as Lopez became their youngest ever debutant and youngest ever Clasico goalscorer. When the attacking midfielder made her senior Spain debut in 2024, she became the youngest women’s player to do so. 

Those records demonstrate Lopez’s ability to adapt to whatever level is required of her. Barcelona have an exceptional reputation for developing younger players but you also have to be something special to be picking up minutes in a position where you are competing with Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas, and Claudia Pina. Lopez’s versatility allows her to be used in a variety of positions, which in turn has helped her grasp the game time she needs to develop — not to mention suiting Barcelona’s fluid style of play. 

Wieke Kaptein, Chelsea

Not many players break in to the Chelsea team at 19, but Wieke Kaptein has really hit the ground running.

Having signed the Dutch midfielder last summer, Chelsea had immediately sent Kaptein back on loan at former club FC Twente, with that extra year’s development looking to have set her up perfectly for life in England. There is no doubt Kaptein has benefited from injuries Chelsea have faced in the second half of 2024, as well as Sonia Bompastor’s robust rotation between the Champions League and WSL, but with almost 800 minutes and six goal contributions (three goals and three assists) under her belt, she has grasped the opportunity with both hands.

Kaptein already appeared for the Netherlands at the 2023 World Cup as a 17-year-old, but her importance in the side is increasing with every passing international break. Her broad skill set — whether that is pushing higher up the pitch and attacking the box, or playing deeper and carrying the ball — makes her an obvious asset for any manager.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Chelsea, Barcelona, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, UK Women's Football, Women's Euros

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