After firing Man City to title - is Shaw best striker in WSL history?

Breaking news from the world of sport: After firing Man City to title - is Shaw best striker in WSL history? Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Khadija Shaw joined Manchester City from French side Bordeaux in 2021ByAlex BrothertonBBC Sport journalistPublished24 minutes agoWhile Manchester City's Women's Super League title triumph was clearly a team effort, it's unlikely it would have been possible without Khadija Shaw. The Jamaica striker scored 21 goals in 22 games as City secured the title for the first time in a decade, and could still help them clinch a double when they meet Brighton in the Women's FA Cup final at Wembley later this month.

With a third successive WSL Golden Boot in the bag and the WSL goals record on the horizon, Shaw has to be considered one of the division's greatest ever strikers. But how does the 29-year-old compare to other WSL goalscoring greats? Sport crunches the numbers.

Match Details

Record-breaking season for ShawFiring City to a first WSL title in a decade is the tip of the iceberg where Shaw's achievements this season are concerned. Two strikes in a 4-1 final day win against West Ham ensured she became the first player in WSL history to score 20 or more goals in three different campaigns. Her double against the Hammers took her to 100 goal contributions in the WSL - 82 goals and 18 assists - in 93 appearances, the second quickest a player has reached that milestone.

A record-breaking third WSL Golden Boot - her third in a row, no less - was practically assured months ago, while a 13-minute hat-trick against Tottenham in March took her treble tally to six, more than any other player in WSL history. A four-goal masterclass against Aston Villa in December saw the Jamaican become the first player to reach a century of goals for City. Shaw took her total of headed goals in the WSL to 31, the most of any player in WSL history and four more than closest challenger Bethany England.

After being named the Football Writers' Association women's footballer of the year for a record-equalling second time last week, on Monday Shaw became the first player to win the WSL's player of the season prize more than once. City's player of the season is favourite to win the PFA player of the year award for a second time. Shaw wasn't quite able to topple the single season goals record of 22, set by current City team-mate Vivianne Miedema at Arsenal in 2018-19 and equalled by Aston Villa's Rachel Daly in 2023-24.

Reactions and Expectations

Man City's Shaw wins WSL player of the season Published1 day ago'They always deliver' - Man City savour 'magical' title Published3 days agoHow does Shaw rank among the best? Some of the best attackers in the world have made the WSL their home, so Shaw is certainly no shoe-in as the best. City team-mate Miedema holds a host of records to go with the single-season goals tally.

The former Arsenal striker is the WSL's all-time leading scorer with 97, with Bethany England (89) second in the rankings and Shaw third (83).

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.