GOAL selected the 25 best talents in women’s football born on or after January 1, 2005 – but where are they now?
Every year, GOAL releases its NXGN lists, highlighting the best young talents in world football. After starting with the men’s game in 2016, the first women’s list was published in 2020, with many of its alumni having already gone on to achieve incredible things.
And so after theNXGN 2025 list was revealed, here’s a look at where the wonderkids of 2024 are today:
Every NXGN list
Dembele, Tielemans & 2016's best wonderkids
Mbappe, Donnarumma & 2017's best wonderkids
De Ligt, Kluivert & 2018's best wonderkids
Haaland, Sancho & 2019's best wonderkids
Saka, Rodrygo & 2020's best wonderkids
James, Oberdorf & 2020's best women's wonderkids
Pedri, Ansu Fati & 2021's best wonderkids
Le Tissier, Bennison & 2021's best women's wonderkids
Bellingham, Musiala & 2022's best wonderkids
Dumornay, Fowler & 2022's best women's wonderkids
Gavi, Garnacho & 2023's best wonderkids
Shaw, Thompson & 2023's best women's wonderkids
Yamal, Mainoo & 2024's best wonderkids
Getty25Brooke Aspin (Chelsea)
2024: After signing for Chelsea in the summer of 2023, Aspin spent the 2023-24 season back on loan with former club Bristol City, but her time with the Robins would end on a sour note as they suffered relegation from the Women's Super League. For the 2024-25 season, Aspin again went out on loan, this time to newly-promoted WSL side Crystal Palace. However, a devastating ACL injury in November cut that spell short.
2025: Aspin's focus for the forthcoming year is on her recovery from that knee injury, with her unlikely to feature again in the 2024-25 season as a result of it.
Advertisement(C)Getty Images24Toko Koga (Feyenoord)
2024: Koga made the leap overseas, joined Dutch side Feyenoord and started all of the club's final 11 league games of the season after breaking into the line-up in late January. The defender's year would yet get bigger, too, as she was included in Japan's squad for the Olympic women's football tournament in France. There, Koga started three of Nadeshiko's four games, including the heartbreaking 1-0 defeat in extra time to the United States in the quarter-finals.
2025: Koga has continued to assert herself at Feyenoord in the 2024-25 season, starting every league game to date and even netting a trio of goals, including a brace in the 5-3 win over Excelsior. For Japan, she scored the winner against the United States in February as her country won the SheBelieves Cup.
Getty Images23Liana Joseph (Lyon)
2024: Joseph enjoyed her first involvements with the U20s, included in the squad that travelled to Colombia for that year's World Cup. She only made one start, in the group stage against Fiji, but marked it with four goals. Joseph would also add to her lone appearance for Lyon's world-class first team, getting two more chances to impress in the latter stages of the 2023-24 season.
2025: After remaining at Lyon for the first half of the 2024-25 campaign, making just one league appearance, Joseph moved to Strasbourg on loan in the New Year. Regularly involved with France's U19s now, it's anticipated that she will travel with the team to their European Championships this summer, should they qualify.
Imagn Images22Amanda Allen (Orlando Pride)
2024: After making 11 appearances for the Orlando Pride in the NWSL and the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, albeit just one start, Allen was loaned to USL Super League side Lexington in September. There, she made nine starts, but did not end her goal drought. That has unfortunately continued with the Canada youth teams, too. Allen was part of the U20 side that reached the quarter-finals of their World Cup, starting all four games, but couldn't find the back of the net.
2025: Allen, now back at Orlando ahead of the new NWSL season, will hope for a more prolific 2025.