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Ten stars who played at the U-17 Women's World Cup
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FIFA Official·12 days ago

Ten stars who played at the U-17 Women's World Cup

The kicks off in October, with 24 nations and hundreds of stars-in-the-making set to battle it out for the trophy.

Ahead of the , FIFA looks back at ten current stars who have dazzled at the event.

England ace Bronze played in all six of the Lionesses' matches during the maiden finals, though they were edged out of receiving her namesake in the third-place play-off by a strong Germany side.

The full-back has gone on to play for Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Lyon, Barcelona and Chelsea, has won the UEFA EURO twice and returned to Oceania in 2023 as England lost the FIFA Women's World Cup™ final to Spain.

A member of the Germany side which beat England to bronze, Popp also racked up six appearances Down Under and scored two goals.

The legendary forward spent 14 years at Wolfsburg, where she won seven league titles and two UEFA Women's Champions Leagues, before moving to Borussia Dortmund ahead of the 2026/27 season. She also captained the senior national side during 14 years of service, playing more than 100 matches and winning gold at Rio 2016.

One of the finest players of her generation, Putellas took her first steps on to the global scene at the 2010 finals. She played in all-but one game and netted in victory over Japan as Spain finished third.

She's gone on to become a Barcelona icon, playing more than 500 matches and scoring more than 200 goals for the Blaugrana. On the international stage, Putellas is Spain's most-capped player, and starred as they lifted the Women's World Cup in 2023.

Japan recovered from their defeat against Spain to reach the 2010 decider. Tanaka played three times and netted versus New Zealand in that run, but couldn't prevent shootout heartbreak against Korea Republic.

Two years later, she claimed bronze from the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup™ on home soil, as Japan defeated Nigeria in the third-place play-off. Now capped more than 100 times at senior level, Tanaka has two AFC Asian Cup titles to her name, including from the 2026 edition.

Centre-back Mbock Bathy remains the only defender to receive the adidas Golden Ball from the U-17 finals, with the French star helping her side to an unbeaten crown in Baku.

Trophies have continued to follow Mbock Bathy, with the 31-year-old enjoying a title-laden spell with Lyon which included six Champions League crowns, before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2024.

At 13, Banda was one of the youngest players ever to feature at the U-17 finals when she played for Zambia in 2014. Despite her immense talent, though, she couldn't prevent the Copper Queens from exiting at the group stage.

Now in her prime at 26, Banda has scored goals aplenty in Spain, China and the USA. She captained Zambia to their maiden Olympics in 2021, where she became the first player to hit back-to-back hat-tricks at the event, before taking the nation to their debut Women's World Cup, where she scored the tournament's 1,000th goal.

Oberdorf may have only been 14 during the 2016 finals, but she certainly made an impact. The midfielder scored in the 2-0 group-stage win over Cameroon and also found the net in quarter-finals against Spain, but couldn't prevent Germany from going out in the last eight.

Six years after the finals, Oberdorf starred at EURO 2022, being named as the Young Player of the Tournament and included in the Team of the Tournament, as Germany reached the final. Still just 24, Oberdorf plies her trade for Bayern Munich following four successful years with Wolfsburg.

While Coll played once at Jordan 2016, she made her name at the finals in Uruguay two years later. The goalkeeper played every minute in South America and collected the adidas Golden Glove as Spain roared to their first title.

Coll travelled to Australia & New Zealand 2023 as an uncapped backup, but ended the tournament as Spain's starter after coming in for the knockout stage, with La Roja once again toasting a maiden crown. As well as international success, she is also an integral part of the all-conquering Barcelona side.

Another crucial member of the 2018 side, Paralluelo played either up front or out wide in all but one of Spain's matches and scored in the group-stage win over Canada.

Paralluelo became a world champion again in 2022, helping Spain to the U-20 title in Costa Rica with two goals in the final against Japan. She then became the first player to win all three female World Cups as the youngest member of Spain's squad Down Under, with the 19-year-old scooping the FIFA Young Player Award.

Electrifying winger Caicedo was already a senior regular by the time she played at India 2022, and that experience proved decisive. She netted a joint-best four goals as Colombia made the final, only to be edged out by Spain.

Less than a year later, she was dazzling on the senior stage. She bagged two goals, including a stunner against Germany, as Colombia made it to the last eight. Still just 21 and a star at Real Madrid, Caicedo looks set to become a giant of the female game.

Sources: FIFA Official

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