The recently held FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 attracted a lot of attention. The offensive and high-flying playing styles of the finalists – Japan and the USA – have won many awards. With 146 goals in 52 games, the tournament won against neutrals with entertainment and high drama. The final match between the USA and Japan, with seven goals scored, summed up the tournament being more offensive than the men’s World Cup last year.

As a result, interest in women’s football is at an all-time high. And after decades in the shadow of men’s football, women’s football has finally stepped onto the podium and is poised for an extended dwelling in audiences’ imaginations. Everyone is curious to know more about women’s football. In today’s article, we take a look at the most frequently asked questions since the start of the World Cup. Who are the legends of women’s football?

This article is a celebration of women’s football. Please note that the names on this list are a matter of opinion. There are no common criteria other than immense contribution to the game.

• Renate Lingor

Throughout her illustrious career, Renate Lingor was known for her excellent passing skills and ability to read the game. And her ability to place free-kicks with precision helped her score 37 goals for her national team. She started her professional career at SC Klinge Seckach and stayed at the club for eight years despite several offers from other top German clubs. She moved to 1. FFC Frankfurt in 1997 and 1 two years later. Led by Lingor’s immense performances, FFC Frankfurt finished the domestic doubles by winning the German League and German Cup. She would bet three times more with her club on the prestigious doubles in the national team. Overall, she won five national championships, five German cups and two UEFA cups1. FC Frankfurt . Her time with the national team was equally fruitful. During her 147 national appearances, she won two world and two European championships with her national team. She is also a two-time Olympic bronze medalist. She announced her retirement from club and international football in 2008, ending one of football’s most successful and successful professional careers.

• Christine Sinclair

Christine Sinclair is just 32 years old and she has turned out 225 times for the Canada team. At the age of 16 she made her national debut at the Algarve Cup 2000, where she was the tournament’s top scorer with three goals. Two years later, she cemented her reputation as one of the most exciting young talents in women’s football by scoring seven goals for Canada in the 2002 CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup, making her best partners with USA’s Charmaine Hooper and Tiffeny Milbrett. In the same year, she took part in an inaugural event FIFA U-19 Women’s World Cup. In the tournament, she scored a record-setting ten goals, which earned Canada second place and earned her both the Golden Boot as top scorer and the Golden Ball as tournament MVP. She is a record winner of the Canadian Footballer of the Year award and has been nominated by FIFA for World Footballer of the Year six times. She led her national team to the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Championship and 2011 Pan American Gold Medal. With 155 international goals, she is expected to become the second player to surpass Mia Hamm’s 158 international goals.

• Kristine Lilly

Kristine Lilly holds the record for most international appearances. Over the course of her 24-year career, she has played 352 games (a feat unmatched by both women and men). Her last and ^352ndAppearing against Mexico in a World Cup qualifier in November 2010. She has scored 130 goals for the USA women’s national team, behind Mia Hamm’s 158 goals and Abby Wambach’s running 182 goals. The attacking midfielder started her career in 1994 at Tyresö FF from Sweden. Their last club was Boston Breakers. However, it was her international career that made her one of the greatest footballers of all time. She made her international debut while still in high school. She played at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007. Out of five, she became world champion twice in 1991 and 1999. She was also a three-time Olympic champion, winning gold twice. She has been an assistant coach for the Boston Breakers since 2012.

• Christians

Cristiane is a successful Brazilian striker. She is so good that she started her international football career at the age of 15 with the Brazil U19 national team. However, she had to wait four years for the world to stand up and take notice of her considerable abilities. It was at the Athens Olympic soccer tournament in 2004. The Brazilian team reached the final where they lost to the USA. However, the Olympic silver medal was the biggest international success for the team up to that point. Cristiane led the team from the front with five goals. She was honored along with the German Birgit Prinz as the best writer of the tournament. The samba star was able to win another silver medal with the national team when they lost again to the USA at the 2008 Olympics. She finished second at the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup when Brazil lost 2-0 to Germany in the final. However, she has a less than ideal club football career. She has worked for clubs in Germany, Sweden, USA, Russia and South Korea as well as in her native Brazil. And it was during their time at the Brazilian clubSantos She had the most successful time. She helped the club win the coveted Copa Libertadores and Copa Do Brasil.

• Sun Wen

Sun Wen, the retired Chinese forward, is considered one of the all-time greats in the women’s game. A strong striker with great technique and matching skill was named FIFA Woman of the Centuryalong with Michelle Akers in 2000. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Athens, Wen led China to a silver medal. Then, three years later, Wen and China missed out on annulment of the FIFA Women’s World Cup after losing to USA on penalties. In the tournament, she scored seven goals and won the Golden Ball (top player) and the Golden Boot (top goalscorer). She helped the national team win the Asian Cup in 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997. Before announcing her retirement from club and international football, Wen had earned 152 caps for the national team, scoring 106 goals in that time. During her career, she had managed the China women’s national soccer team and the United Soccer Association (WUSA) women’s Atlanta Beat.

• Abby Wambach

Abby Wambach is an American soccer player, coach, two-time Olympic gold medalist and 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year . With 184 goals, she is the all-time leading scorer for the national team and holds the world record for international goals for both female and male soccer players. The 2012 FIFA World Player of the Yearhas participated in four FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments: USA 2003, China 2007, Germany 2011 and Canada 2015, where they became champions. She has also participated in two Olympic tournaments: Athens 2004 and London 2012, winning gold in both. It is said that the true barometer of player skill is their performance in big games and tournaments. And Wambach excelled in this respect. She has scored 22 goals in 29 games in major international tournaments. Wambach is a complete striker with exceptional scoring and scoring chances. Only Hamm and Lilly have more assists than Wambach (62 assists) for the US national team. She is also known for her penchant for scoring dive heads. She is currently playing forWestern New York Flash in NWSL.

• Homare Sawa

Well at her young age, Homare Sawa gave a glimpse of her immense talent that would gleam on the world stage for nearly two decades. Sawa, who is considered Japan’s top female soccer player, made her debut in the L. League, Japan’s top division, at the age of 12. At 15, she made her Japan international debut against the Philippines. And in that very game, she scored four goals to herald her entry into international football. Since then she has become a fixture in the national team. She has competed in the last six FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments, as well as the 1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. In fact, she’s just a soccer player. As captain, she led the Japan national team to a World Cup victory at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011. She won both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot as Japan defeated the United States on penalties. She became runner-up in the recently ended World Cup. She is the top Japanese soccer player with 204 appearances and the top scorer with 83 goals.

• Birgit Prince

Birgit Prinz was one of the deadliest strikers in women’s football. With 14 goals, she is the second top scorer at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, followed by Marta, who scored 15 ^th goal at the recently ended World Cup. Prinz is the highest non-North American scoring in women’s soccer history with 128 goals in 214 games. In 2003 and 2007 she led the German World Cup. During this period she was named FIFA World Player of the Yearthree times – in 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2000, 2004 and 2008 she won Olympic bronze respectively. Her club career was as successful as her international career. She made her Bundesliga debut at FSV Frankfurt and stayed with the club from 1993 to 1998. During this time, Frankfurt won two Bundesliga titles and two German cups. In 1998 she moved to local rivals 1. FFC Frankfurt , where she tasted even more success. She played 13 seasons for the club, winning six Bundesliga, eight German Cup and three UEFA Women’s Cups. She currently works as a sports psychologist for the men’s and women’s teams at 1. Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim .

• Marta

Marta Vieira da Silva is considered by many to be the current best and most decorated female soccer player in the world. At the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 in Canada, the Brazilian striker became the player with the most goals at FIFA Women’s World Cups, surpassing Birgit Prinz’s previous record of 14 with a goal against South Korea in Brazil’s first game. She was named FIFA World Player of the Year five times in a row between 2006 and 2010. At the 2007 World Cup, she won both the Golden Ball award for best player and the Golden BootTop scorer award. Marta, also known as “Pele in Skirts”, is one of the most successful female soccer stars. In 2012 it was reported that she was earning 168,000 Swedish kronor a month.

• Mia Hamm

Mia Hamm is considered one of the most complete attacking players in the history of the sport. She was the highest scoring player in football history until 2013, when her American compatriot Abby Wambach scored her 159th goal. However, she still holds a record in the game and nobody seems ready to break it. Hamm holds the national team record for most career assists with 144 assists. She was named the woman FIFA World Player of the Year, the first two awards being presented (2001 and 2002).