This time last year, the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament served as the backdrop for several outstanding performances. Some of the leading lights from Paris 2024 have since translated that impetus into eye-catching displays at club level.
FIFA takes a closer look at a stellar sextet who have enjoyed a sparkling post-Olympics season.
Emily Fox | USA
In the space of a year, the American right-back has bagged two glittering additions for her trophy cabinet. As one of the first names on the team sheet at the Paris Olympics, Fox contributed to the defensive solidity of a USA team that conceded just two goals on their impressive quest for gold-medal glory. Back in club colours with Arsenal, she has continued to stack up the silverware.
Following a hard-fought campaign in which they bested the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and even OL Lyonnes, the London club claimed the 2024/25 UEFA Women’s Champions League, edging holders Barcelona 1-0.
Mallory Swanson | USA
Having found the net four times, including when she coolly slotted home the decider in the 1-0 gold-medal match victory over Brazil, Swanson was one of the brightest stars in Paris. Sidelined for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ by a serious knee injury, the 2019 world champion reminded everyone just how talented she is.
Back with the Chicago Stars, the American forward picked up where she left off, clocking up seven goals and four assists in 25 matches. However, her club’s journey in the National Women’s Soccer League came to an end in the play-off quarter-finals.
In May, the 27-year-old announced her pregnancy on social media, meaning that she would be stepping away from the pitch for several months. Will she come back even stronger? “Something just keeps pulling me and keeps motivating me to keep going,” shared the player who, a year ago, became the 444th American woman to reach the milestone of 100 international caps.
Aitana Bonmati | Spain
The talented Spanish midfielder arrived in Paris 2024 fresh from being crowned The Best FIFA Women’s Player at the 2023 edition of the awards. In Spain’s first appearance in the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, Bonmatí once again proved why she held that title. She memorably scored the decisive spot kick in La Roja’s 4-2 quarter-final shoot-out win over Colombia after a 2-2 draw in extra time. However, her talent was not enough to prevent the world champions from falling 4-2 to Brazil in the semi-finals and heading home empty-handed.
The Barcelona playmaker quickly bounced back. In December last year, she retained her crown as The Best FIFA Women’s Player. She then made her mark on the 2024/25 UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign, notching four goals and five assists to take the Catalans all the way to the final. Although they were beaten by Arsenal 1-0, the Spanish powerhouse took some consolation in going on to win the league title.
Last month, Spain’s No6 helped her country reach the final of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025. Having scored the decider in the 1-0 extra-time win in the semi-final against Germany, Bonmati failed to find a breakthrough against England in the showpiece, which her side lost 3-1 on penalties following a goalless stalemate. However, Montse Tome’s charges will have the chance to turn their fortunes around in the last four of the UEFA Nations League in October, when they play home and away legs against Sweden.
Gabi Portilho | Brazil
After a rocky group stage, Brazil’s Olympic campaign clicked into gear in the knockout phases, with Gabi Portilho at the heart of the revival. The Brazilian forward scored the lone goal in the quarter-final win against France and struck again in the 4-2 semi-final victory over Spain to earn the future hosts of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ their ticket to the final. Gabi and her team-mates put up a good fight against the USA, but ultimately had to settle for silver following a 1-0 defeat.
On her return to Corinthians, the No18 clinched the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores Femenina and the Brazilian league title. Her performances earned her a place in the The Best FIFA Women’s 11 for 2024 and a move to the American franchise Gotham last December. She got off to a blistering start with her new team, opening her goalscoring account in her debut. Gabi Portilho is also set to feature at the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup 2026™ after Gotham’s Concacaf W Champions Cup triumph in May.
To cap off a fantastic 12 months, the Brazilian won this year’s CONMEBOL Copa America Femenina with her national team, following a nail-biting final against Colombia, which ended 5-4 on penalties, after the first 120 minutes served up a thrilling 4-4 draw.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto | France
After missing the last two editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Katoto showed the world at Paris 2024 that she is among the game’s best forwards. Despite being the leading scorer in the competition on home soil with five goals to her name, “MAK” could not get Les Bleues over the line in the quarter-finals. Herve Renard’s team tasted disappointment once again in a major tournament, falling 1-0 to a standout Brazilian team.
Back at Paris Saint-Germain, she racked up 16 goal involvements in 24 matches in all competitions. Even so, this substantial total was not enough to deliver one final trophy for her girlhood club.
At 28, the French forward opted for a new challenge. And where better to continue to aim for the top than OL Lyonnes, the most decorated club in France and Europe? “I’m delighted to be joining the best club in the world. The club’s history commands respect, prompts admiration and fuels the desire to keep on winning,” she said when she signed in June.
Klara Buhl | Germany
The Germans may have just embarked on a new era with Christian Wuck at the helm – starting brightly with a semi-final finish at the most recent UEFA Women’s Euros – but Buhl is the sort of player who shines no matter who is in the dugout. Although the forward netted only one goal at the 2024 Olympics, she put everything on the line to lead her team to the third step of the podium with a narrow 1-0 win over world champions Spain.
The bronze medal she earned in France gave Bühl a real boost. Back at Bayern Munich, the club she joined from Freiburg in 2020, she posted the best numbers of her career in 2024/25. Seven goals and an impressive 14 assists underpinned a treble of domestic trophies: the Frauen-Bundesliga (Bayern’s fourth in five years), the German Cup and the Super Cup.
