FIVE PLAYERS EXPECTED TO MAKE AN IMPACT IN SWITZERLAND

When UEFA Women's EURO 2025 kicks off on 2 July, nations will be holding their breath, serenading their heroes and hoping that they can be the ones basking in glory at this summer’s showpiece tournament in Switzerland.

Here at Her Game Too, we are all incredibly excited to cheer on the Lionesses, the Red Dragons or, if you’re one of our French Members, Les Bleus will be getting your backing! Whichever nation you're backing, it promises to be an exciting competition.

Many of the household names in women's European football can be reeled off the tongue, but let’s take a look at five players from outside the home nations who will be hoping to make an impact this summer.

Mariona Caldentey (midfielder, Spain and Arsenal)

Midfield sensation Mariona Caldentey has dazzled team-mates, fans and pundits alike in her first season in England, since moving to the Gunners from Barcelona last summer.

Plying her trade in front of one of women’s football's most adoring fanbases seems to have unlocked a new level in the 29-year-old, who saw the individual awards flood in for her in the season just gone, alongside her side's memorable UEFA Women’s Champions League success.

The winner of the inaugural WSL Player of the Season award in 2024/2025 cemented just what a sparkling season the Spaniard had in Arsenal red, with her legacy as a fan favourite, partly due to her iconic and brilliant goal in the Champions League semi-final against Lyon, etched into Arsenal folklore forevermore.

On the international stage, Caldentey was one of the defining members of 'Las 15', a group of Spanish national team players who removed themselves for selection for the national squad in September 2022. This was due to dissatisfaction with then-coach, Jorge Vilde. Caldentey has since cited one of the reasons she moved from Spain to England was that women's football in the country was stagnating following the 2023 World Cup win.

Ewa Pajor (forward, Poland and Barcelona)

If you look up the phrase ‘goalscoring machine’ in the dictionary, it’s very possible you are met with a picture of 28-year-old Polish forward Ewa Pajor.

Stirring the goalscoring pot at Barcelona last season, the hotshot scored a staggering 43 goals (Yes, 43!) in 45 matches - a quite simply outstanding record for someone whose ability to put the ball in the net reached freakish levels ahead of this summer’s showpiece.

She is by far her country's most successful women’s goalscorer, with 68 goals in 101 appearances at the time of writing. She also has a domestic treble next to her name at Barcelona this season, to add to four Bundesliga titles, nine DFB Pokals, three Polish Cups and two Polish League titles, making her one of the most decorated women’s footballers of all time.

Her almost photographic memory for knowing where the goal is will only serve her national team well, as she bids to spearhead a deep charge for Poland in their debut Women's EURO.

Klara Bühl (winger, Germany and Bayern Munich)

My next name is maverick winger, Klara Bühl, who, at just 24 has come off the back of the best season of her career so far for Bayern Munich in Germany.

In 2024/2025, Bühl recorded a staggering 14 assists and added seven goals to create 21 goal involvements in the Frauen-Bundesliga - the highest amount of direct goalscoring involvements in the German top flight.

She managed to notch ten goals in all competitions, helping Bayern complete a historic and first ever domestic double.

Internationally, Lionesses fans may recognise her from putting Germany 3-0 up in that crazy 4-3 win at Wembley at the back end of last year, with her prime both internationally and for her club side still way out in front of her, despite having achieved so much in her sparkling career to date.

Off the pitch, Bühl appears to be a hugely popular figure too. From crocheting the popular ‘unofficial’ mascot of the German national team, Waru, to becoming the first ever feature story in UEFA's inaugural women’s lifestyle fanzine, aptly named ‘Queenzine’.

Hannah Hampton (goalkeeper, England and Chelsea)

Thrust into the No1 jersey on the international stage gradually over the last year, the news at the start of June that Mary Earps has called time on her England career strengthened Hampton's position as England's first-choice 'keeper.

Coupled with the fact that neither of her fellow goalkeepers in the Lionesses squad, Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse, have made a senior appearance for England, Hampton is now England's most experienced goalkeeper at the age of 24.

Hampton, who was virtually an ever present in goal for Chelsea’s treble-winning team in the season just gone, the Birmingham-born stopper appeared in 34 matches in all competitions, keeping 13 league clean sheets and sharing the WSL Golden Glove award with Phallon Tullis-Joyce of Manchester United.

Hampton pits her wits in the EURO group stage against fellow WSL goalkeeper, Daphne Van Domselaar, which will be one to keep an eye on, with the Chelsea vs Arsenal element in the mix too.

Selma Bacha (defender, France and OL Lyonnes)

Our final player to look out for in this summer's UEFA Women's EURO, which completes our set for a player from each position, is OL Lyonnes defender Selma Bacha.

At the age of 24, she is one of the most decorated players in the French side at club level, with seven league titles, four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles and six domestic cups in France too - not bad at all!

Injury restricted the flying full-back to 18 appearances last season in OL Lyonnes' unbeaten league-winning campaign, but she provided excellent tutelage to Sofie Svava, who was often the left-back selected in her place.

Overall, each of these five players heralds a huge influence over their respective teams - and all of us at Her Game Too are incredibly excited to see how they fare this tournament!