Chelsea is among the most popular women’s football teams in the world. The team lead England’s roster of female football teams, winning six Women’s Super League, five Women’s FA Cups, two FA Women’s League Cups, and one Women’s FA Community Shield, among other international and domestic competitions they have participated in.
The team was founded in 1992, and for 31 years, many female footballers have donned the Chelsea jersey, but only a few were known as all-time best in Chelsea’s history. Let’s name a few of these legendary superwomen in the field and learn more about their contributions to Chelsea’s achievements throughout the years!
Magdalena Eriksson
Magdalena Eriksson is a Swedish footballer who has been Chelsea’s great defender and team captain. Before joining Chelsea, Eriksson played for teams like Hammarby IF, Djurgårdens IF, and Linköpings FC. After playing for Chelsea, she transferred to Bayern Munich and still plays for this German football team, which is currently second in FIFA World Rankings and has been dominating soccer betting odds during their matches.
Her international career was decorated with Sweden U15, U16, U17, U19, U23, and the Sweden Women’s National Football Team.
After Chelsea’s WSL win in 2020-2021 season, Eriksson was acclaimed as Europe’s top defender. Erikkson made 180 appearances and helped Chelsea claim 10 trophies before leaving the team.
Some of the most notable individual honors she received were FA WSL PFA Team of the Year in 2019-2020 and 202-2021, FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2021, Fotbollsgalan: Swedish Defender of the Year in 2020 and 2021, and Diamantbollen in 2020.
Eniola Aluko
British-Nigerian footballer Eniola Aluko was known for her dribbling ability, scoring ability, and pace. She’s also famous for taking different forward positions and excelling in all of those. Beyond Chelsea, Aluko made international contributions to the England national team. She played for the team in the 2011 and 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2009 and 2013 UEFA Women’s European Championship.
Aluko’s senior career spanned from 2001 to 2019. She started playing with Birmingham City and last played for Juventus Football Club after playing for Chelsea from 2012 to 2018. In 2020, Aluko retired from football with a long list of honors to take pride in. Throughout hr 18 years of playing, Aluko notably won the WSL Top Scorer (2016), PFA WSL Team of the Year (2015 and 2017), Chelsea Ladies Player of the Year (2014-2015), and Women’s Super League Hall of Fame (2022).
Karen Carney
Regarded as one of the best wingers and midfielders to ever play for Chelsea, Karen Carney has also played for Birmingham City, Arsenal, Chicago Red Stars, and Chelsea throughout her 18 years of senior career. Carney now works as a sports columnist for BBC Television, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sport, and The Guardian.
The English footballer also played for the England National Team from 2005 to 2009. She was also in Great Britain’s Women’s Olympic Team in 2012. With her exceptional skills in precise passing, ball control, and dribbling, Carney significantly contributed to Chlesea’s games from 2015 to 2019.
Throughout her long and successful career, Carney was among Chelsea players who led the team to win the FA Women’s Cup in 2017-2018. Carney was named the FA International Young Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006 and the FA WSL Top Goalscorer in 2014. In addition, she was also inducted into the Birmingham City F.C. Hall of Fame in 2015, the English Football Hall of Fame in 2021, and the Women’s Super League Hall of Fame in 2022.
Fran Kirby
English footballer Fran Kirby was best known for her exceptional dribbling ability, speed, close control, and clinical finish. She started playing for Chelsea in 2015 and currently plays for the team. Before joining Chelsea, Kirby also played for Reading Women’s Football Club from 2012 to 2015. Her international career was decorated with England U23 in 2013-2014. She also currently plays for the England Women’s National Football Team and Great Britain Women’s Olympic Football Team.
With her depth and versatility in the game, she can confidently carry out different positions like attacking midfielder, forward, and out wide. She was awarded the Chelsea Women’s Player of the Year in 2017-2018 and 2020-2021. Other honors Kirby has received were FA Women’s Super League Player of the Year and London Football Awards Women’s Super League Player of the Year in 2020-2021, among other individual awards.
Hedvig Lindahl
Hedvig Lindahl played for Chelsea from 2015 to 2019. She then transferred to her next team to another: VfL Wolfsburg (2019-2020), Atlético Madrid (2020-2022), and Djurgården (2022-present). Lindahl also played for the Sweden Women’s National Football Team since 2022 and kept a goal for the team in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Olympic Games, and UEFA Women’s Championship. She was a nine-time Swedish Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year and was considered a high-caliber goalkeeper until today.
While playing for Chelsea, Lindahl helped the team win the FA Women’s Super League in 2016 and 2017-2018. She also contributed to the team’s success in the Women’s FA Cup 2014-2015 and 2017-2018.
Final Thoughts
The Chelsea players we have included in this list have undoubtedly claimed international success through their experience and flexibility on the football field. Each of them has experienced challenges and setbacks. Yet, their discipline and commitment to their team’s success made them true professional athletes and role models to many aspiring women footballers out there.
