Mia Hamm

Mia Hamm is considered one of the greatest players in the history of women's football and one of the main responsible for popularizing the sport in the United States. She made her debut for the American national team at age 15, in 1987, becoming at the time the youngest player to wear the country's jersey. At the University of North Carolina (UNC), she graduated in 1994 with ACC records in goals (103), assists (72) and points (278), helping the team to a record of 92 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws, with four NCAA championships. With the United States national team, she won the first Women's World Cup in history, in 1991, and the back-to-back championship in 1999, decided on penalties against China in front of more than 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl. She also won Olympic gold in 1996 and 2004, as well as silver in 2000. She retired from the national team in 2004 with 158 goals in 276 matches, at the time the top international scorer in football history, male or female — a record later surpassed years later by her compatriot Abby Wambach. In 2007, she became the first woman to enter the United States National Soccer Hall of Fame.