#5 Abby Wambach
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255 matches, 184 goals. Let that sink in. Abby Wambach is the greatest goalscorer of all time in women's football and these numbers are a testament to her incredible capability.
Back in 2004, USA was faced with unbridled uneasiness owing to the impending retirement of the then 32-year-old Mia Hamm. With the United States of America desperate for a big personality to step up and take the reins at the Athens Olympics, Wambach showed up. An intimidating presence in the final third, the towering striker scored a sensational goal in the 112th minute of the 2004 Olympics Gold medal match and the world knew that she was going to be the torch bearer that leads the USA into the next era. And that she did with enviable flair and swagger.
In the 2011 World Cup quarter-final clash against Brazil, the USA were reduced to 10 players. Finding themselves a goal behind in extra time, USA seemed all set to be plumbing the depths. Well, that is true for a lot of people except Wambach because she had other ideas. The goal machine’s relentlessness reaped rewards when she headed the ball into the back of the net in the 122nd minute to force the game into penalties. The Americans would go on to break the Brazilians’ heart and win the match. FIFA would later go on to declare Wambach’s effort as the greatest Women’s World Cup goal.
The Rochester-born USA veteran’s aerial ability was unparalleled and she scored a third of her goals from headers. She is not only the greatest goal getter but is an exceptional creator and has the third most number of assists in women's football. In the words of her teammate and one of the greatest of all-time, Mia Hamm, 'the standards which she (Abby) sets are extremely high and that's why the team is as successful as they are.'
The now 37-year-old has played for three different clubs in her career viz. Washington Freedom, MagicJack, and Western New York Flash.
Given all her achievements in Football, Wambach was still hungry for the elusive World Cup crown which she ultimately won in 2015. By the time she retired she also had two Olympic gold medals to her name and was announced as the 2012 FIFA Women's Footballer of the Year.
Wambach has won the US Soccer Athlete of the Year Award six times. In the 2011 World Cup, she won the Bronze Boot and Silver Ball and received the Associate Press Female Athlete of the Year award becoming the first soccer player to receive it.
In 2015, Wambach was named in the Time’s 100 most influential people in the world.
You can see the video of Abby Wambach’s 122nd minute goal in this video.
