Female Footballer - Camille Catala, French football player

Camille Catala (born 6 May 1991 in Montpellier) is a French football player currently playing for AS Saint-Étienne of the Division 1 Féminine. Catala plays as a striker and has been active with the France women's national football team on the youth circuit. In 2010, she played on the under-19 team that won the 2010 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship.

Catala began her career at Saint-Christol-lès-Alès. With the club, she made an appearance in a Challenge de France match before departing for Racing Club de Saint-Étienne, where she was inserted as a starter upon arrival. In her first season with the club, she appeared in 15 matches scoring only one goal, which came on 10 May 2009 in a 2–2 draw with Nord Allier Yzeure. The following season saw RC Saint-Étienne merge with Ligue 1 club AS Saint-Étienne to form the club's women's section. Catala again entered the season as a starter scoring her first goal of the season in her club's 1–4 loss to Nord Allier Yzeure.

Catala has been active with the women's section of the national team. She has earned caps with the women's under-17 and under-19 teams. With the under-17 team, she participated in both the 2008 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship and the inaugural 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, where France were eliminated in the group stage. Catala's only goal in the World Cup came in France's 6–2 thrashing of Paraguay. With the under-19s, Catala played in the La Manga Cup international tournament and the 2009 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship reached the semi-finals before bowing out to Sweden in extra time.

Female Footballer - Sandrine Dusang, French football player

Sandrine Dusang (born 23 March 1984 in Vichy) is a French football player currently playing for Olympique Lyonnais of the Division 1 Féminine. Dusang plays as a defender and is a member of the France women's national football team making her debut in 2003.

Dusang grew up in the city of Vichy and began her career playing for FCF Nord Allier Yzeure. She was later selected to attend CNFE Clairefontaine, the women's section of the prestigious Clairefontaine academy. Following her stint there, she joined Olympique Lyonnais. Since 2003, Dusang has made over 120 appearances scoring 20 goals. She has helped Lyon win an impressive three consecutive D1 Féminine titles beginning with the 2007–08 season.

Dusang made her international debut on 18 March 2003 in a 1–0 victory over Finland. She made her international major tournament debut after being selected to play in UEFA Women's Euro 2005. Dusang played in all three group stage matches as France failed to get through to the knockout rounds. Dusang scored her only international goal on 13 March 2005 against Finland in the 2005 edition of the Algarve Cup. France won the match 3–1.

Female Footballer - Sabrina Delannoy, French football player

Sabrina Delannoy (born 18 May 1986 in Béthune) is a French football player who currently plays for French club Paris Saint-Germain of the Division 1 Féminine. She plays as an centre back and serves as the first-choice captain of the club. Delannoy is a former women's youth international having played at under-20 and under-21 level. With the under-20 team, she played at the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship.

Female Footballer - Kelly Gadéa, French football player

Kelly Gadéa (born 16 December 1991 in Nîmes) is a French football player who currently plays for French club Montpellier of the Division 1 Féminine. She is equally adept at playing as either a central defender or a defensive midfielder. Gadéa is currently in her second stint with Montpellier having started her career with the club in 2005. In 2007, she joined Saint-Étienne and established herself as an up-and-coming talent domestically and internationally. After three seasons with the club, Gadea returned to Montpellier in 2010.

Gadéa is known for her leadership ability and has, subsequently, captained several of her age groups in international competition. She has represented France at under-17, under-19, and under-20 level. With the under-20 team, she played in the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Her most notable moment in the competition came in a group stage match against Germany. With France trailing 4–1 in the second half, following a free kick, Gadéa received the ball and took a chipped, driven shot straight at the goal. The ball went into the back of the net before bouncing back out, however no goal was given by the referee. France lost the match by the same scoreline and were eliminated from the competition by goal difference. The non-call was similar to what happened the previous month at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in a match against England and Germany, which led to calls for the introduction of goal-line technology.

Female Footballer - Sarah Bouhaddi, French football player

Sarah Bouhaddi (born 17 October 1986 in Cannes) is a French football player currently playing for Olympique Lyonnais of the Division 1 Féminine. Bouhaddi plays as a goalkeeper and is a member of the France women's national football team having made her debut in 2004. Before suffering an injury to her ACL, she was France's number one goalkeeper.

Bouhaddi had previously starred with the women's under-19 team helping France win the 2003 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship, held in Germany. She was one of the few underage players in the team and, despite being only 17, was named the starting goalkeeper. After struggling in the group stage phase, Bouhaddi recorded two clean sheets in the semi-finals against England and the final against Norway. Bouhaddi was selected again for the 2005 edition of the under-19 competition and helped her nation reach the final match again, however she would not hoist the title due to losing 5–6 on penalties to Russia. The following year, she played in the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship helping France reach the quarter-finals before losing to North Korea.

On 21 February 2004, Bouhaddi made her senior international debut in a friendly match against Scotland appearing as a substitute playing 21 minutes. Despite not earning any caps during the qualification phase for UEFA Women's Euro 2005, she was selected as the starting goalkeeper by coach Elisabeth Loisel. In the tournament, France suffered elimination in the group stage phase on goal differential with Bouhaddi playing all three matches conceding five goals. Following the tournament, Bouhaddi was officially designated as the number one goalkeeper and participated in all of the team's qualifying matches for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, which France failed to qualify for. She made her second major international tournament appearance after being selected by new coach Bruno Bini to play in UEFA Women's Euro 2009, where France reached as far as the quarterfinals losing to the Netherlands 4–5 on penalties. Due to her ACL injury, Bouhaddi will miss a significant portion of France's qualifying campaign for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.

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Female Footballer - Bérangère Sapowicz, French football player

Bérangère Sapowicz (born 6 February 1983 in Verneuil-sur-Avre) is a French football player who currently plays for French club Paris Saint-Germain of the Division 1 Féminine. Sapowicz plays as a goalkeeper and is a member of the France women's national football team having made her debut in 2003. That same year, she was selected to participate in 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, held in the United States.

Sapowicz initially trained in gymnastics before beginning a career in football. She began her career playing for nearby club Association Sportive Bretolienne. She spent 12 years at the club before joining the women's section of city club Évreux AC (now Évreux FC). While at Évreux, she became a youth international and eventually was selected to attend CNFE Clairefontaine, the women's section of the Clairefontaine academy.

In 2002, she joined Paris Saint-Germain and after a year in the youth system joined the club's senior team. In her first season with the club (2003–04), she appeared in 17 matches. The following season, her playing time decreased making only ten appearances in the league, which included scoring a goal. In the next two seasons, she appeared in 27 matches. Her 2007–08 season was uneventful as she missed the entire year due to tearing her ACL in one of her knees. She returned to form for the 2008–09 season appearing in 20 matches as Les Parisiens finished the season mid-table.

The 2009–10 season saw the arrival of fellow internationals Camille Abily, Sonia Bompastor, and Élise Bussaglia. The arrival of the veterans paid extreme dividends to the club and Sapowicz as the goalkeeper failed to concede a goal until the 10th league match of the season. Sapowicz finished the season appearing in 25 total matches. She was the starting goalkeeper for Paris Saint-Germain in its 5–0 win over Montpellier in the 2010 Challenge de France Final. Sapowicz remained the first-choice goalkeeper for the 2010–11 season. The goalkeeper appeared in 20 league matches as Paris Saint-Germain qualified for the 2011–12 edition of the UEFA Women's Champions League after finishing runner-up to champions Lyon.

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Female Footballer - Gaëtane Thiney, French football player

Gaëtane Iza Laure Thiney (born 28 October 1985 in Troyes) is a French football player who currently plays for French club Juvisy of the Division 1 Féminine. She plays as an attacking midfielder, but can also operate in the striker position. Thiney is also a member of the France women's national football team making her first major tournament appearance with her nation at UEFA Women's Euro 2009.

Thiney began her career playing for ASS Brienne-le-Château in the commune of Brienne-le-Château, which is 26 miles northeast of her hometown Troyes. After a stint in the youth system, she moved a few miles north to Olympique Saint-Memmie, who were playing in the first division of French women's football. She made her league debut with Saint-Memmie during the 2000–01 season. Thiney spent six seasons at the club and, following the 2005–06 season, secured a moved to US Compiègne Oise in Compiègne. In her first season with the club, she appeared in 21 matches and scored five goals. Unfortunately, Compiègne suffered relegation to the second division. Thiney spent her final season with the club in D2 Féminine and was easily the best player in the team appearing in 18 matches and scoring a team-leading 20 goals.

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Female Footballer - Eugénie Le Sommer, French football player

Eugénie Anne Claudine Le Sommer (born 18 May 1989 in Grasse) is a French football player who plays for French club Olympique Lyonnais of the Division 1 Féminine. Le Sommer plays as a creative attacking midfielder, but often plays as a second striker for the France women's national football team. She was awarded the Bronze Ball for her performance at the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Le Sommer made her first major tournament appearance for her nation at UEFA Women's Euro 2009. On 30 June 2010, Le Sommer announced she would be joining the four-time defending champions Olympique Lyonnais departing her former club, Stade Briochin, after three seasons.

Le Sommer began playing football at the age of five joining the women's section of Trélissac FC. After a four-year stint at the club, she joined AS Guermeur in the Brittany region. She later played at one of the biggest clubs in the region, FC Lorient, and earned many honors in the youth section of the club helping her youth sides win the Coupe Fédérale 16 ans in 2005 and the Mozaïc Foot Challenge in 2006, with the latter being held at the prestigious Clairefontaine academy. Le Sommer was later selected to attend CNFE Clairefontaine, the women's section of the Clairefontaine academy. After a short stint there, she joined D1 Féminine club Stade Briochin. In her debut season with Briochin, Le Sommer appeared in all 22 league matches scoring four goals. The 2008–09 season saw her score 10 goals in 22 matches. For her efforts, she was nominated for the UNFP Female Player of the Year losing out to Lyon player Louisa Necib. Le Sommer got off to a fast start for the 2009–10 season scoring ten goals in her first seven league matches, which included a hat trick against Toulouse in a 4–5 defeat. She finished the season as the league's top scorer and was awarded the UNFP Female Player of the Year following the season.

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Female Footballer - Élise Bussaglia, French football player

Élise Bussaglia (born 24 September 1985 in Sedan) is a French football player who currently plays for French club Paris Saint-Germain of the Division 1 Féminine. She plays as a midfielder and is a member of the France women's national football team. Bussaglia is the reigning National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Female Player of the Year having won the award after a successful 2010–11 season with her club.

Bussaglia began her career playing for Olympique Saint-Memmie playing at the club during her youth. She spent two years with the senior team before being selected to attend the CNFE Clairefontaine, the women's section of the Clairefontaine academy. After leaving the academy, she joined D1 Féminine club FCF Juvisy playing 14 matches and scoring two goals in her first season. In her second season with the club, she played in all 22 league matches scoring four goals helping Juvisy win the league title. She had another successful season before joining Montpellier. At Montpellier, Bussaglia became an established international player and helped Montpellier to two top table finishes, including helping the team win the 2008–09 Challenge de France and qualify for the newly-created UEFA Women's Champions League in her final season.

In 2009, Bussaglia signed with Paris Saint-Germain and, in the process, joined a club, which included international teammates Camille Abily, Sonia Bompastor, Bérangère Sapowicz, and Laure Boulleau. In her first season with Les Parisiens, despite the club having a respectable season, Bussaglia struggled appearing in 18 matches and scoring only two goals in the league. The midfielder compensated her uneventful performance in the league with a decent showing in the Challenge de France netting the fourth goal in Paris Saint-Germain's 5–0 win over her former club Montpellier in the competition's final match. The victory assured Bussaglia her third career Challenge de France title.

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Super Beautiful Footballer - Louisa Nécib, French football player

Louisa Nécib (born 23 January 1987) is a French football player who plays for French club Olympique Lyonnais of the Division 1 Féminine. She plays as a central attacking midfielder and is described as a "gifted playmaker" who "possesses superb technique". Nécib is also known for her "elegant possession, sublime passing skills, and cultured touch on the ball". She has been labeled by the French media as "the female Zidane", primarily due to having an Algerian background, growing up in Marseille like Zidane, and having immense skill.

Nécib began her football career playing for local youth clubs in her hometown of Marseille, such as Union Sportive Marseille and Celtic de Marseille. With the latter club, she made her senior team debut in 2003 and, in the following season, helped the club win the Division 3 Féminine. In 2004, Nécib was selected to attend CNFE Clairefontaine, the women's section of the Clairefontaine academy. She spent two years at the training center, and in 2006, departed for Montpellier of the Division 1 Féminine. In her only season with Montpellier, Nécib helped the team win the 2006–07 edition of the Challenge de France. After departing Montpellier, she joined Lyon. Since joining the club, Nécib has won a slew of trophies, which include four league titles, one Challenge de France, and one UEFA Women's Champions League title. For her performances during the 2008–09 season, she was named the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Female Player of the Year.

Nécib is a former French women's youth international having represented her nation at all levels for which she was eligible. At under-19 level, she played on the teams that reached the 2004 and 2005 editions of the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship. With the under-20 team, Nécib played at the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship scoring a goal in the group stage against Argentina as France reached the quarter-finals. Prior to playing in the U-20 Women's World Cup, Nécib made her senior international debut in February 2005 in a friendly match against Norway. Two years later in March 2007, Nécib scored her first senior international goal in a UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying victory over Greece. She has participated in three major international tournaments for her country; the 2005 and 2009 editions of UEFA Women's Euro and the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. In the latter competition, Nécib acted as the playmaker and contributed to the team that finished in fourth place.

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Female Footballer - Camille Abily, French football player

Camille Anne Françoise Abily (born 5 December 1984 in Rennes) is a French football player who currently plays for French club Lyon of the Division 1 Féminine. She plays primarily as an attacking midfielder. Abily is a two-time winner of the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Female Player of the Year and, following her second consecutive honour in 2007, became the first women to win the award in back-to-back seasons. Following a move to the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league in the United States, she earned Player of the Month and All-Star honors.

Abily began her football career joining Jeanne d'Arc Bruz in 1992. In 1994, she joined nearby club FC Bruz. After a year's stint at another local club, Abily spent time in the first division playing for Stade Briochin and La Roche-sur-Yon. In 2002, she was selected to attend the women's section of the nationally recognized Clairefontaine academy. After her stint at Clairefontaine, Abily signed with Montpellier and won two league titles while at the club, as well as the Challenge de France, the women's domestic cup. After three seasons with Montpellier, Abily joined Lyon. Similar to her stint at Montpellier, she won several titles, which included three straight league titles from 2006–2009. In 2008, Abily joined the new United States-based women's soccer league, Women's Professional Soccer, after her American playing rights were chosen by the Los Angeles Sol in the 2008 WPS International Draft. After helping the Sol win the league, Abily returned to France where she played for Paris Saint-Germain on loan. In 2010, she returned to the United States to play with FC Gold Pride and, subsequently, won her second consecutive title in the league. In 2010, Abily announced that she would be returning to Lyon for the 2010–11 season and, subsequently, was a part of the team that won the 2010–11 UEFA Women's Champions League.

Abily is also a French international. Prior to playing for the senior team, she played at youth level representing the under-18 team at the 2001 UEFA Women's Under-18 Championship. Abily made her senior international debut in September 2001 in a friendly match against the Netherlands. She scored her first goal for the national team six years later in a 2–0 win over China in February 2007. Abily made her major international tournament debut for the team at UEFA Women's Euro 2005 and later played on the teams that qualified for UEFA Women's Euro 2009 and the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.

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Super Beautiful Footballer - Corine Franco, French football player

Corine Cécile Franco (née Petit) (born 5 October 1983 in La Rochelle) is a French football player who currently plays for French club Olympique Lyonnais of the Division 1 Féminine. Franco serves as vice-captain of her club and plays as a physical, yet creative defensive midfielder, often acting as a deep-lying playmaker. She is also a member of the France women's national football team making her first major tournament appearance with her nation at UEFA Women's Euro 2009.

Franco was born on the west coast of France and began her career playing for Avenir Maritime Laleu in her hometown. She later moved to ES Rochellaise before securing a move to D1 Féminine club ASJ Soyaux at the start of the millennium. Franco spent two years in the youth system before making her league debut during the 2002–03 season. In her debut season, she scored four goals. The 2003–04 season saw Franco's opportunities in the team increase as she was given a permanent role in the starting eleven. Over the next four seasons, she appeared in all 22 matches scoring double-digit goals on two occasions. In her final season with Soyaux, she appeared in 19 matches scoring seven goals. Her successful seven-year career gained the attention of defending champions Olympique Lyonnais and Franco eventually secured a move to the club.

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Female Footballer - Sandrine Soubeyrand, French football player

Sandrine Soubeyrand (born 16 August 1973 in Saint-Agrève) is a French football player who currently plays for French club Juvisy of the Division 1 Féminine. Soubeyrand plays as a midfielder and is a member of the France women's national football team. On 29 October 2009, she earned her record 143rd career international cap in a match against Estonia. The achievement surpassed French men's international defender Lilian Thuram as the nation's most capped football player. Soubeyrand serves as the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports for the city of Juvisy.

Soubeyrand began her career at age seven playing for Boulieu-lès-Annonay in the département of Ardèche. Ate the age of 14, she joined Saint-Cyr Félines. She spent seven years in Saint-Cyr before departing for the city of Lyon playing for SC Caluire in Caluire-et-Cuire. At Caluire, Soubeyrand made her international debut and established herself as a capable midfielder. At the beginning of the new millennium, she joined D1 Féminine club FCF Juvisy, where she currently remains. At Juvisy, Soubeyrand has won two league titles (2002–03 and 2005–06 seasons), a Challenge de France title (2004–05), and has participated in the UEFA Women's Cup and the re-branded UEFA Women's Champions League. During the 2002–03 season, she scored seven goals and, for her seasonal performances, was named the league's top player by the UNFP. For the 2008–09 season, Soubeyrand, despite being 35 years old, appeared in 20 of the club's 22 matches and scored seven goals helping Juvisy finish in 3rd, one point shy of qualifying for the newly-created UEFA Women's Champions League.

Soubeyrand made her international debut on 12 April 1997 in a 3–0 victory over Belgium. Over her 13 years of appearing with the national team, she has played in numerous international tournaments. This includes the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup and four UEFA Women's Championships (1997, 2001, 2005, and 2009). On 29 October 2009, she surpassed Lilian Thuram as France's most capped football player. Soubeyrand currently has 167 caps and has scored 18 goals for her nation.

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Female Footballer - Laure Lepailleur, French football player

Laure Maud Yvette Lepailleur (born 7 March 1985 in Bernay) is a French football player who currently plays for French club Paris Saint-Germain of the Division 1 Féminine. Lepailleur primarily plays as a midfielder, but can also play in the defending position. She is a member of the France women's national football team making her first major tournament appearance with her nation at UEFA Women's Euro 2009.

Lepailleur began her career playing for her hometown club Sporting Club de Bernay. After a stint in the youth system, she joined the women's section of Évreux AC (now Évreux FC). She was later selected to attend CNFE Clairefontaine, the women's section of the prestigious Clairefontaine academy. She played one season (2003–04) with the academy making eight appearances scoring no goals. After leaving the academy, she joined D1 Féminine mainstay Montpellier. In her two seasons at the club, Lepailleur was a regular in the starting eleven. She helped the club win the 2004–05 D1 Féminine title and the 2005–06 Challenge de France. Following the Challenge de France success, Lepailleur moved to up-and-coming club Olympique Lyonnais and, despite not receiving consistent playing time, helped the club win back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008. Her decreasing playing time, including a short stint playing for the Lyon reserve team in the third division, saw the international moved to impending rivals Paris Saint-Germain. In her first season with the Parisians, she only appeared in 11 matches scoring one goal. For the 2008–09 season, Lepailleur was joined by fellow internationals Camille Abily, Sonia Bompastor, and Élise Bussaglia. The additions helped Paris Saint-Germain reach as high as 1st position with Lepailleur appearing in six of the first seven league matches the team contested.

Lepailleur had previously starred with the women's under-19 team helping France win the 2003 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship, held in Germany. On 13 March 2005, she earned her first cap with the women's national team in a match against Finland. On 10 August 2009, she was named to the squad to participate in UEFA Women's Euro 2009, due to an injury to national team regular Sandrine Dusang. Lepailleur had not appeared in any matches during the qualification process and only made one substitute appearance in the tournament as France crashed out in the quarterfinals losing 5–4 on penalties to the Netherlands.

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Female Footballer - Sonia Bompastor, French football player

Sonia Bompastor (born 8 June 1980) is a French football player who currently plays for French club Lyon of the Division 1 Féminine. She primarily plays in the midfield position, preferably on the left side. Bompastor can also play in the left back position. She is a two-time winner of the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Female Player of the Year, and following a move to the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league in the United States, earned Player of the Month and All-Star honors.

Bompastor began her football career joining US Mer in 1988. In 1992, she joined US Thoury. In the same year, Bompastor earned selection to nationally recognized Clairefontaine academy joining alongside a select group a female players. After her stint at Clairefontaine, she joined Tours EC, now the women's section of professional club Tours FC. In 2000, she joined Division 1 Féminine club La Roche ESOF and performed well enough to earn a move to Montpellier. At Montpellier, Bompastor earned domestic and individual honors, which resulted in a move to champions Olympique Lyonnais. In 2008, she joined the new United States-based women's soccer league, Women's Professional Soccer, after her American playing rights were chosen by Washington Freedom in the 2008 WPS International Draft. After helping the Freedom reached the playoffs, Bompastor returned to France where she played for Paris Saint-Germain on loan. In 2010, she announced that she would be returned to Lyon for the 2010–11 season and, subsequently, was a part of the team that won the 2010–11 UEFA Women's Champions League.

Bompastor is also a French international. Prior to playing for the senior team, she played at youth level representing the under-18 team at the 1998 UEFA Women's Under-18 Championship. Bompastor made her senior international debut in February 2000 in a friendly match against Scotland. From 2004–2006, she served as the national team's captain. Bompastor has played in numerous tournaments for her nation beginning with UEFA Women's Euro 2001.

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Female Footballer - Ophélie Meilleroux, French football player

Ophélie Anne-Laure Meilleroux (born 18 January 1984 in Montluçon) is a French football player who currently plays for French club Montpellier of the Division 1 Féminine. Meilleroux primarily plays as a central defender, but can also play in the defensive midfielder role. She is a member of the France women's national football team making her first major tournament appearance with her nation at UEFA Women's Euro 2009.

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