Mia Hamm

One of the best female football (soccer) players in the world, Mia Hamm is possibly the best-known American football player, male or female. In her career, she played an amazing 275 matches for the US national team, scoring no less than 158 goals. She has played in three Olympic Games, winning the inaugural women’s football title in 1996, being runner-up in 2000, and winning again in her final tournament in Athens 2004. Hamm also played in four World Cups, winning the first Women’s Cup in 1991 as well as the 1999 edition, while finishing third in 1995 and 2003. She was named FIFA Female Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002, Hamm also was co-founder of Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA), the first women’s pro league in the world, in which she played for Washington Freedom. It folded in 2003, but successor Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) features a silhouette of Hamm in its logo, indicating her significance for the women’s game.