Ranking the best players at the 2023 Women’s World Cup

From the USA crashing out in the Round of 16 to Jamaica stunning the world of football and Spain confirming their status as legends of the game, we have been spoiled this year.

Now, with the dust beginning to settle on another big step forward for women's football, Bets.com.au have taken a look at the top five players at the tournament along with why they shone so brightly in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.

Sam Kerr - Australia

The Chelsea striker came into the tournament with question marks over her fitness, but she answered any doubts about whether she should be playing for the co-hosts with a string of stunning performances that saw Australia's Matildas finish in fourth.

Pride of place was her outrageous long-range effort against England that drew the Aussies back on level terms at 1-1 and gave the stadium and nation hope again.

It was agonising then to see Kerr left floored as England scored twice following her goal to end the dreams of the home side and their star forward.

However, the 29-year-old will likely see another World Cup, with her predator-like instinct in the box and ability to hammer efforts into the corners seeing her become the name in Australian football.

Mary Earps - England

So much of the plaudits for England's run to the final will go to their outfield players, but goalkeeper Mary Earps deserves a huge amount of credit for how far the Lionesses went at the 2023 World Cup.

England were not perfect at the tournament, and they struggled at times, with their win over penalties over Nigeria a particularly tough part of their campaign.

However, the one thing that stayed the same whether England were beating China 6-1 or losing 1-0 to Spain in the final was their goalkeeper.

Calm under pressure, sprawling saves that saw the ball tipped around the post or staying big and forcing the forward to make a mistake when in a one-on-one scenario, Earps was superb.

Her big moment came in the World Cup final as she saved a penalty in the second-half with the score at 1-0. Conceding there would have likely seen the final over, but Earps' save kept England alive.

England would not have gotten to the final without Golden Glove winner Earps, with three clean sheets in seven games vital.

Linda Caicedo - Colombia

This list would not be complete without 18-year-old wonderkid Linda Caicedo. The Colombian star has been a revelation for the national team, and her stock continues to rise now.

Two wonder goals at the World Cup shows why Real Madrid were so keen to bring her into the fold.

Colombia's star managed to net against both South Korea and Germany as the two sides were knocked out of the group, with the Colombians finishing top.

A tough clash with Jamaica followed in the Round of 16, with Caicedo and Colombia struggling to a 1-0 win. Their time at the World Cup was then brought to an end by eventual finalists England in a 2-1 loss.

The defeat to England will have taught Colombia a lot, and Caicedo will be a better player for this run and heartbreak on the field.

At such a young age, Colombia know Caicedo will be around for a long time, with the forward likely to light up the World Cup for years to come.

Hinata Miyazawa - Japan

Next, we cannot omit the top scorer from arguably the best team at the World Cup. Japan were awesome across their first four matches as they hammered Zambia 5-0, beat Costa Rica 2-0, stunned eventual champions Spain 4-0 and beat Norway 3-1 in the Round of 16.

Japan were eventually beaten by a Swedish side that knocked out the USA in the round before, with the Japanese running out of steam at the wrong time.

A huge part of their early success at the tournament was Hinata Miyazawa.

Miyazawa managed to score five goals, meaning she secured the Golden Boot despite playing two games less than the likes of Spain, England, Australia and Sweden.

She netted twice against Zambia, twice against new world champions Spain and once against Norway.

Her goal tally is particularly impressive when taking into account the fact she plays most of her game on the wing, with Miyazawa brilliant in front of goal.

Aitana Bonmati - Spain

This final place could have gone to any number of the Spanish side that ultimately lifted the World Cup.

However, much of the credit needs to go to a Spanish midfield that featured Aitana Bonmati, who was in inspired form and took home to Golden Ball for her performances across the tournament.

England's attacking players have been given a lot of credit for making something from almost nothing, so, how do you stop them? You quite literally give them nothing, which is what Spain did.

Spain dominated the midfield battle and bypassed England's centre time and time again.

This was not for lack of trying from England, with the players working tirelessly. However, such was the skill and confidence of this Spanish team and midfield that they rarely missed a pass.

The little triangles Spain were able to play took the sting out of the game after Earps' penalty save, while the ability to thread a ball through a number of players meant England were on the backfoot constantly.

On another day, perhaps the battle for midfield would have been closer, but in the final, Bonmati led the Spanish midfield to a supreme performance in the middle of the park as her side deservedly won the World Cup.