So, you know how we got here (if not – please read Part 1), but who will be the player to break through the barrier and smash one of the remaining glass ceilings in Women’s football?

Some criteria first – I do think we are at least two years away from the first £1M women’s fee becoming a reality and as is the case throughout the majority of sport there are mitigating factors that will affect a player’s value.

Position/Style: It’s just a fact that defensive, or defensively-minded players do not demand the same fees as their attacking counterparts. So no disrespect towards those who put in the hard-yards so that others can flourish, but don’t expect many defenders in this list.

Age: It is just a number and who is to say someone like Sam Kerr can’t go on scoring hatfuls of goals for years to come, but it does affect how much a team will be prepared to spend on an initial transfer fee. Equally with younger players a lot depends on their existing ability and future potential, which will affect their value accordingly.

Injury History: If a team doesn’t believe it can count on you to play multiple games over multiple seasons then the transfer fee is likely to reflect that. As NFL Legend Brian Dawkins once said ‘The best ability is availability’.

Fiscal Responsibility: I think Signe Gaupset is an incredible young talent, but the truth is she plays for Brann. Realistically I don’t see a team like that being able to turn down a significant transfer fee, say 100k-250k, so to reach £1M it needs to be someone on a team with no financial requirement to sell players.

Contract Status: If a player is on a short-term contract or their current deal only has a small amount of time remaining on it, then clubs will bid lower in the knowledge that the player could wait it out and leave for nothing. For the purposes of this exercise all the players below are considered to be under contract for the immediate future.

Marketability: Perhaps a controversial one, but if the team can’t utilise you as a commodity, something to grow the club in stature and ultimately revenue, then they won’t be bidding this high.

Here are our 10 contenders…

Aitana Bonmati – Barcelona

This may surprise some people, but Aitana Bonmati is quite good at football. I mean just this year she has won the World Cup, the Champions League, the Spanish League, and most recently, the Ballon d’Or – to name just a few of her many accolades. It’s impossible to deny that she’s the best player on the planet right now and you’d have to believe the fee to prise her away from Barcelona would start at a new world-record fee and potentially end up at £1M or more. She is 25 years old, which is at the upper echelon of my age/value considerations, but even two or three years down the line it’d be hard to argue she wouldn’t be worth the investment if she carries on playing at this level.

Lauren Hemp – Manchester City

There are arguably four teams in the WSL that do not need to sell players, one of whom is Manchester City, and Hemp is certainly a player they do not want to lose. Fast, direct, hard-working, she’s the absolute driving force in attack for both City and England. At just 23 years old she already has 51 caps and 16 goals for the Lionesses and has played at every international age group since U17. It would be fair to speculate that if she were Spanish, American or Brazilian, then she may already be considered a top 10 forward in the entire game.

Jule Brand – Wolfsburg

Quick, skillful, scores, assists, and can play multiple positions – what more do you need to know? Already capped 38 times for Germany at the age of just 21 Jule Brand has plenty of time to develop her game even further and become one of the most dominant players in the sport. I think if she is to take this crown it could be in a move from Wolfsburg to the WSL in a couple of years if she can add real consistency to her already world-class attributes.

Trinity Rodman – Washington Spirit

The daughter of Basketball enigma Dennis Rodman, Trinity is reaching the heights of her own sport in the NWSL. The same age as Brand and with a similar range of abilities it would be no surprise to anyone if she becomes one of the most coveted players in football. Rodman was the youngest player ever drafted in the NWSL when she was selected 2nd overall by the Spirit, so her talent at such a young age had clearly been identified. No stranger to the spotlight, she has already worked with the likes of Red Bull, Oakley, Adidas and Verizon. If anyone on this list is likely to break out from the world of ‘soccer’ and into the so-called mainstream – she’s my bet to do it.

Vicky Lopez – Barcelona

It didn’t take long to come back round to Barcelona and in Vicky Lopez they have one of the most exciting prospects in world football. This year she won the Player of the Tournament at the UEFA U-17 European Championships and was joint top-scorer with 5 goals. She also became a Liga F and UWCL winner after featuring in 10 games for the Blaugrana. Oh and did I mention she won the Golden Ball for Best Player at the 2022 U-17 World Cup? Her accolades certainly match up to her potential and it would seemingly take an enormous bid to secure her services for any other club.

Selma Bacha – Lyon

Signed to Lyon’s academy at the age of 8, Bacha caught the eye of fellow left-back Sonia Bompastor whilst still in the youth ranks. Bompastor now manages Lyon and Bacha has racked up over 100 appearances for Lyon and France combined. Although frequently operating in defence, it is when Bacha gets forward that she is really able to utilise her exceptional pace and skill. It could be that permanent switch to the wing, a la Gareth Bale, could take her game to the next level and really drive up her value.

Linda Caicedo – Real Madrid

Talk about a journey, Caicedo joined her first senior women’s team in her native Colombia at the age of 10 and made her senior debut for her country at the age of 14. She’s still just 18 and is already one of the most prestigious talents in world football, signalled by her transfer to Real Madrid earlier this year. She even took on and beat ovarian cancer – talk about fighting spirit. Her speed, movement and control of the ball deployed out wide or through the middle is already remarkable and will only improve with time and experience. Don’t just take my word for it, Tuttosport made her their ‘Golden Girl’ just last month, an award presented to the best female under-21 player in a European league.

Sophia Smith – Portland Thorns

Much like her compatriot Rodman, Smith has already tapped into the broader sports market through endorsements with the likes of Nike, Chipotle, and Ally along with print media appearances in Sports Illustrated, Vogue, Elle and Time. Whilst she doesn’t have a famous father, she does share the same incredible talent on the football field. Swift, agile, versatile, with an eye for goal – what more do you want from a forward. Her football intelligence is excellent too and although perhaps more on instinct than tactical awareness, she has the innate ability to be in the right place at the right time. The NWSL Most Valuable Player and US Soccer Female Player of the Year in 2022 could command a hefty transfer fee to a European team down the line.

Lauren James – Chelsea

Another English Lauren, but this time it’s James that features on our list. In contrast to Hemp who looks like she’s straining every sinew on every run, James makes the game look easy – which is one of the hardest things to do. More of a glider than a sprinter she picks up excellent positions and creates opportunities for herself and others with her skill, touch and ability to read the opposition. Her goalscoring record speaks for itself and she is able to score from both inside and outside the box.

Salma Paralluelo – Barcelona

As a former national representative athlete in the 400m hurdles, it almost goes without saying that Paralluelo has elite level speed. Perhaps the hurdles, an event where footwork and timing is equally as important, was the perfect discipline to translate into her football career. Success is in her blood having won the World Cup with Spain at three different age groups, including the big one this summer in Australia, to go alongside the Liga F and UWCL titles she had already secured with Barcelona this season. Oh and by the way she averages at least a goal every other game for both club and country – she’s still just 20 years old.

Honourable Mentions

There are several other athletes who could potentially become the first £1M transfer, but would need to move to a bigger club first, or gain more experience in order to maximise their value. Keep an eye out for: Alyssa Thompson, Jaedyn Shaw, Olivia Moultrie, Bea Sprung, Flourish Sabastine, Gabriela Rodriguez, Franziska Kett, Monique Ngock, Aline Gomes, Julia Bartel, Airine Fontaine, Aoba Fujino and the aforementioned Signe Gaupset – any of whom could develop into a world class player in the next few years.