To celebrate the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicking off in Australia and New Zealand, TV and electric retail giant, Currys have analysed FIFA’s “players to watch” in each team to discover which are the most influential, based on their social following.
For each player, their Instagram and Twitter following were collected and combined to give their total following overall.
In first place is USA’s forward, Alex Morgan, who boasts a mammoth following of 13.8m across Twitter and Instagram. This will be her 14th year representing the USA, who have won the past two Women’s World Cups (2015 and 2019).
In second place is Alexia Putellas, Spain’s midfielder, who beat first place Alex Morgan in The Best FIFA Women’s Player running in February. When it comes to following, however, Putellas has quite the way to catch up with her USA rival. Across both platforms, Putellas has 3.33m followers, which is over 10m less than Morgan. Putellas missed playing in the UEFA Women’s EURO last year due to a knee injury but has recovered in time to showcase her versatility and skill as a midfielder in the world cup.
In third place is Brazil forward Marta Silva, with a combined following of 2.6m on Instagram and Twitter, although only a small amount of the following can be attributed to Twitter. Dubbed a “true living legend” Marta has scored an impressive 17 goals across 20 Women’s World Cup matches. At 37 she is one of, if not, the oldest players in the competition this year, but this doesn’t stop her being a fan favourite.
Top 20 Most Influential Female Football Players In The 2023 Women’s World Cup
|
Rank |
Player |
Team |
Position |
Group |
Total following (Instagram & Twitter) |
|
1 |
Alex Morgan | USA | Forward |
E |
13,800,000 |
|
2 |
Alexia Putellas | Spain | Midfielder |
C |
3,325,400 |
|
3 |
Marta Silva | Brazil | Forward |
F |
2,604,280 |
|
4 |
Sam Kerr | Australia | Forward |
B |
1,365,200 |
|
5 |
Lieke Martens | Netherlands | Forward |
E |
1,309,000 |
|
6 |
Julie Ertz | USA | Central midfielder |
E |
1,282,600 |
|
7 |
Ada Hegerberg | Norway | Forward |
A |
936,400 |
|
8 |
Lucy Bronze | England | Defender |
D |
759,800 |
|
9 |
Jenni Hermoso | Spain | Forward |
C |
743,400 |
|
10 |
Lauren James | England | Forward |
D |
687,900 |
|
11 |
Tamires Dias | Brazil | Full-back |
F |
639,900 |
|
12 |
Chloe Kelly | England | Forward |
D |
625,700 |
|
13 |
Aitana Bonmati | Spain | Midfielder |
C |
604,300 |
|
14 |
Eugenie Le Sommer | France | Forward |
F |
527,300 |
|
15 |
Linda Caicedo | Colombia | Forward |
H |
512,600 |
|
16 |
Debinha (Débora Cristiane de Oliveira) | Brazil | Forward |
F |
468,330 |
|
17 |
Lindsey Horan | USA | Attacking midfielder |
E |
437,600 |
|
18 |
Georgia Stanway | England | Midfielder |
D |
401,700 |
|
19 |
Wendie Renard | France | Defender |
F |
382,400 |
|
20 |
Pernille Harder | Denmark | Attacking midfielder or forward |
D |
353,300 |
Four Lionesses on the… table
After their stellar performance in the UEFA Women’s Championship 2022, where they actually ‘brought it home’, it is no surprise to see four Lioness names feature in the top 20 most influential players.
Defender Lucy Bronze features in the top 10 at number 8 with a combined following of 759.8K. FIFA labels her as “unquestionably one of the finest full-backs in the world” due to her polished, determined defending combined with her ability to make marauding runs forward.
Next in at number 10 is Lauren James, a forward for the Women’s England team. This will be the Chelsea starter’s first World Cup with the national team. She boasts a follower count of 687.9K.
In 12th is forward Chloe Kelly with 625.7K followers and in 18th is Georgia Stanway with 401.7K.
Although a good social following isn’t everything, it is an engaged audience that footballers can address to raise awareness of certain issues. A recent and notable example is Marcus Rashford who used Twitter to spread the word about Child Poverty in the UK and campaigned for the expansion of free school meals.
If you are looking to buy a new TV for the Women’s World Cup or even in preparation for the Rugby World Cup in September, read the top questions to ask when buying a TV for watching sports, to guarantee the best viewing experience.
