The number is 25. Not one, not two, not even a double-digit top ten. Just 25th in the world. For Caroline Weir, that’s a quiet slap in the face that feels less like a defeat and more like a Tuesday afternoon confirmation that the glass is half-full, or perhaps, depending on your mood, half-empty but definitely made of expensive crystal. She was ranked 30th last year, so the climb is real, even if it’s slow and painful, a grind that most people back home don’t really understand because they haven’t seen the training logs or the flight delays that come with being a global star in a game that still fights for respect.
It happened on the same day she joined the shortlist for the Scottish Women’s Football Awards, a bureaucratic pile-up of achievements that would make a normal person dizzy. Erin Cuthbert, the Chelsea midfielder, is also on that list, as is Eva Olid, the Spanish head coach at Manchester United. It’s a weird trio, really. A player who just moved from Real Madrid to Lyon, another who is anchoring the middle of the park in London, and a manager who just learned how to juggle a Premier League budget while trying to keep her players from melting down during a derby. They’ve all been in the mix for Scottish honors for a while now, but seeing their names side-by-side in a press release feels different. It confirms that this specific generation of Scottish women’s football is not a blip. It’s a system. A network. And it’s starting to show up on the global stage, one nomination at a time.
From Madrid to Lyon: The Quiet Upgrade
Weir left Real Madrid this summer. That’s the headline, right? The move to Lyon. But here’s the thing about transfers in women’s football: nobody bothers to price tag them properly. The wages aren’t published. The marketing budgets aren’t disclosed. So you just have to look at the results. Or the rankings. 25th in the Ballon d’Or list is a big deal. It means she’s in the conversation. It means editors like me, who are usually too tired by 4 PM to care about anything other than the stock market and the traffic on the M6, actually have to stop and read her name. She’s been a nominee two years running. That consistency is rarer than you’d think.
I was in Lyon last month, waiting for a train that was 40 minutes late. I saw a group of fans outside the stadium. They weren’t screaming. They were just watching. One of them was eating a baguette, looking utterly unbothered by the fact that they were standing in the rain. That’s Lyon. That’s the culture. Weir fits into that quiet confidence perfectly. She doesn’t need the noise. She just needs the ball at her feet. And apparently, that’s enough to keep her in the top quarter of the best players on planet Earth. The math doesn’t quite work out when you consider how few women actually reach that tier, but there she is. Rank 25. Second year in a row. It’s a harder sell than it sounds to the casual observer, but for those of us who track the game, it’s a massive step. A very large, very visible step.
The Middle of the Park: Cuthbert’s Anchor Role
Then there’s Cuthbert. Chelsea’s midfielder. She’s on the shortlist for the same awards, which makes sense. If Weir is the flashy point, the flash of color, Cuthbert is the foundation. The concrete under the pavement. You don’t usually notice concrete until it cracks. But she’s there. Every single match. She’s the one making the pass that nobody sees, the one turning the ball away when the pressure is on, the one keeping the shape together when the game gets ugly. And she’s up for Scotland International Player of the Year. That’s a sweet spot. The player who does the hard, unglamorous work gets recognized with the same badge as the one who scores the highlight reel goal. It’s fair, I’d say. It’s overdue, too.
Lauren Davidson, the winger for Brann, and Kathleen McGovern, who moved from Hibernian to Newcastle United, round out the player shortlist. Davidson’s pace is electric, a blur of legs on a muddy field in Norway. McGovern’s goal-scoring record is just cold, hard fact. 12 goals last season, I think? Maybe 13? The numbers don’t matter as much as the fact that she’s ready for the English game. The pace up there is different. It’s faster. The space is tighter. And yet, here she is. Named. Recognized. It’s a crowded field, but it’s a good kind of crowded. It means there’s depth. It means Scotland isn’t relying on one or two heroes to carry the team through a tournament. We’ve got options now. Real ones. Not just prospects. Not just “maybe one day” players. Current, top-flight, professional women who can play anywhere on the planet.
Olid’s Double Act: Manager of the Season?
Eva Olid is the wildcard in the box. She led Hearts to their first-ever Scottish Women’s Premier League title last season. Then she walked away from that safety net and took the job at Manchester United. That’s a tough call. A really, really tough call. Most coaches would stick with the trophy. They’d ride that wave for three, four years. But Olid didn’t. She went to England. She went to the biggest club in the world. And now she’s nominated for SWPL Coach of the Year, despite having left the league mid-season. That’s a weird technicality. You’re nominated for a league you’re no longer managing in. But the rules are the rules, and her impact was so profound that the voters can’t ignore it. She’s up against Leanne Crichton, whose Rangers side finished second and currently lead the new 2026-27 table. Joelle Murray from Hibernian is there, too. And Jack Beesley, who dragged Spartans back to the top flight.
Beesley’s job is the hardest of all. Promotion is easy. Retention is hell. He’s got to keep the players motivated when the spotlight moves away. It’s a grind that breaks people. And yet, he’s in the running alongside Olid, who is now juggling a Premier League budget and a squad of global stars. It’s a strange contrast. The domestic grinder versus the global strategist. Both are valid. Both are important. And both deserve the nod. The fact that Olid is even in the conversation says something about how far the league has come. It’s no longer a place to go if you’re failing elsewhere. It’s a destination. A proving ground. A place where coaches get their CVs polished before they take the next big leap. That’s a good thing. It’s a very, very good thing.
The Strikers’ War: Kozlova vs. The Rest
Glassgow City’s Nicole Kozlova is the favorite for the SWPL 1 Player of the Year. She won the PFA Scotland award in May. That was 5 months ago. Does it still count? Apparently, yes. Momentum is a tricky thing in football. It can evaporate overnight. Or it can crystallize into something permanent. Kozlova is a Ukrainian international. She’s fast. She’s strong. She has that killer instinct that top strikers have. And she’s up against three other strikers. Saoirse Noonan from Celtic. Katie Wilkinson from Rangers. And Georgia Timms, who left Hearts for Ipswich Town this summer.
Timms is the interesting one here. She’s young. She’s hungry. She’s just stepped into a bigger pot. The jump from the SWPL to the Championship (or is it the League One now? The pyramids of English football are getting more confusing every week) is significant. But her form in Scotland was undeniable. She scored when it mattered. She scored when it didn’t matter. She just scored. And Noonan? Noonan has the platform. Celtic’s marketing machine is relentless. Every touch of the ball is analyzed. Every miss is a headline. She’s under a microscope. And Wilkinson? Wilkinson is just there. Steady. Reliable. The Rangers fanbase loves her for it. It’s a race with no clear finish line. It’s a battle of styles. Power versus pace versus precision. And the winner gets a trophy. The losers get… what? A mention in the footnote? A “next time” promise? It’s a shame, really. They’re all good enough to win.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Caroline Weir ranked so high in the Ballon d’Or?
She’s been in the top 30 for two years straight. Her move to Lyon, one of the most dominant clubs in Europe, added significant weight to her case. The ranking committee looks at individual performance, team success, and overall impact. Weir checks all three boxes. She’s a top-15 player in the world, period. The number 25 is a benchmark, not a ceiling.
Can Eva Olid win an award for a league she’s no longer managing in?
Yes. The Scottish Women’s Football Awards based their nominations on the 2025-26 season. Olid’s title win with Hearts was the defining moment of that term. Even though she’s moved to Man Utd, her achievement stands. It’s a common issue in sports awards, where the timing of the ceremony clashes with the timing of career moves. It’s not ideal, but it’s precedented.
Who is the favorite to win Player of the Year?
Nicole Kozlova is the favorite. She already won the PFA award in May. In the world of sports voting, repetition is key. If you won the private players’ award, you’re usually in the running for the public/press award. The field is strong, but Kozlova’s momentum is hard to knock over. Unless she goes on a long injury layoff, she’s the one to beat.
When and where are the winners announced?
Hampden Park on 28 November. It’s a big night. The stands will be full. The media will be packed in. And three Scots—Weir, Cuthbert, and Olid—will be in the building, hoping for a statuettes. It’s a rare opportunity for the country to celebrate its top talent in one go. Don’t miss it. Watch the livestream. Listen to the commentary. It’s worth it.
Does this mean Scottish women’s football is “over”?
Absolutely not. It means it’s alive. It’s breathing. It’s competing. The fact that we have players on the Ballon d’Or list and managers on the SWPL shortlist means we’re not just participating. We’re influencing. We’re setting the standard. It’s a long road, but we’re walking it. And we’re not walking it alone. We’ve got a team. A real, cohesive, professional team. And that’s all that matters.
The next deadline is 28 November. That’s when the dust settles. That’s when the names are made public. And that’s when we’ll know if Weir, Cuthbert, and Olid can add another line to their CVs. Or if they’ll have to wait another year. Or if they’ll never get the recognition they deserve. It’s a gamble. A calculated one. But it’s a gamble worth taking. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about the award. It’s about the game. And the game is getting better. Every single day. It’s getting louder. It’s getting faster. It’s getting real.
Source: BBC Sport
This article was compiled by the IndiaBBCNews editorial system from verified international news sources. Facts have been independently reviewed. Original reporting: BBC Sport.
