2023 was the year of the wonderkids in women’s football, with young players making their Champions League debuts and 16-year-olds shining in the World Cup.
The following generation is eager to establish themselves, but in recent years we have witnessed the likes of Lauren James, Sophia Smith, and Mary Fowler go from young team players to full-fledged professionals.
Even though there is still a lot of inequality in women’s football access and growth worldwide, making it difficult for their abilities to be recognized equally, their names will rise along with the game.
MID: Lily Yohannes, 16, Ajax Amsterdam / United States
Nobody generated as much conversation last month as Ajax’s 16-year-old phenom Yohannes, who earned a spot in the three-time world champions’ SheBelieves Cup roster, making her the youngest player to be called into a USWNT camp since Sophia Smith of Portland Thorns in April 2017.
Yohannes, who has not yet made her USWNT debut, became the youngest player to start a Champions League group stage match this season at the age of 15, and she also became the youngest American to compete in the league.
It is difficult to envision the heights Yohannes could achieve in the future if she is already making so many headlines at such an early stage of her career, as demonstrated by her impressive matchup with Chelsea, the current team of USWNT head coach Emma Hayes, in the Champions League quarterfinals.
