Reggae Girlz captain Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw has been voted the fourth best female footballer in the world, according to a ranking of the top 100 players in the game compiled by British daily newspaper The Guardian.
Shaw, who is making her first appearance in the top 5, earned her spot after a spectacular 2023-2024 campaign for Manchester City in the Barclays Women’s Super League where she won the Golden Boot award with 21 goals, despite missing the final games in the season due to injury.
Her list of accomplishments last season includes overtaking Georgia Stanway to become City’s all-time leading scorer, and sweeping the WSL Player of the Season, Professional Football Association (PFA) Players’ Player of the season and Football Writer’s Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year awards.
The 27 year old recently featured for Jamaica, scoring twice to lead the Reggae Girlz to a 3-0 friendly victory over South Africa in Montego Bay and was also among a group of sixteen players nominated for The Best Fifa Women’s Player of the Year award.
Occupying number one on the Guardian Top 100 is Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati who retains top spot after ending the 2023-24 campaign with 19 goal involvements in all competitions, as well as six goals and six assists on the way to another Champions League triumph before winning a second consecutive Ballon d’Or award.
Completing the top 3 are Barcelona and Norway forward Caroline Graham Hansen along with Portland Thorns and USA forward Sophia Smith with Trinity Rodman of the Washington Spirit in fifth.
The rest of the top 10 includes Lindsey Horan, Barbra Banda, Salma Paralluelo, Mallory Swanson and Naomi Girma.
Haiti and Olympique Lyon midfielder Melchie Dumornay – the only other female player from the Caribbean making the top 100 – is ranked 29th and two spots below Brazil legend Marta.
