She has yet to prove anything internationally though with the USWNT. I would be quite surprised if she is the highest paid player in the world come contract time.
I simply made a statement that she has not proven anything at the international level, which you do not dispute. Her youth career is not relevant anymore. There are many players who had great youth careers (and even spectacular college careers) that do not go on to excel internationally. How about we see if Cat earns it before we annoit her queen bee? Just a thought.
Macario looked very impressive against top twenty, Iceland(might of been mvp of that She Believes Cup toureny. looked good again in the two game set vs, but alas, the rather weakish, Uzbek squad. Las year she scored two goals at 2021 SBC in her starting debut vs Argentina, but a measley 8 minutes at the Olympics the woso world regards her very highiy; in this respectable list(as it guessed correctly the eventual Ballon d'or winner) it has listed Macario as the 5th best player in the world(even over Sam Kerr!). Impressive too that nearly everybody around her is more older/veteran-ish Women's Ballon d'Or 2022 Power Rankings: Putellas, Mead and the top contenders for the Golden Ball | Goal.com US sad part of this list is 4 of the 5 top are currently sidelined by ACL(as Beth Mead just got injured this last Sunday) .
Actually I think Ada Hegerberg is currently out for other reasons and not for her previous ACL injury. It's anyway a fact that there are too many top-players injured these days and too many of them will likely miss the World Cup next year.
For next year international matches like SBC. I'm thinking Australia, Japan, Brazil should be in it. I know the Europeans have their own tourneys while that's going on.
Sam Kerr finished third in the Ballon d'or, ahead of Macario. But, that award is hard to respect when Trinity Rodman is nomitated for it. I love Trinity but she did not earn that yet. They just listen to the noise and nominate people. As you showed, Cat has yet to accomplish anything at the international level with USWNT. She has yet to play any significant minutes in a major event.
Christen Press going to be envious! those best player lists tend to be euro-centric anyways, they don’t give one iota what happens in the NWSL or Concacaf. lol. Sophie Smith will have to win the World Cup is she wants to make it in those lists, but then, I thought Debinha wuz robbed anyways(of the NWSL/MVP award)