Wendie Renard

Wendie Renard was born on July 20, 1990, in Martinique, a French territory in the Caribbean. She lost her father to lung cancer at the age of eight, and after failing to secure a place at the renowned Clairefontaine academy, she joined Olympique Lyonnais' youth categories at sixteen years old, in 2006, under the guidance of Farid Benstiti. A center-back of great stature and leadership, she became captain of Lyon and, since 2013, also captain of the French national team, establishing herself as one of the most successful players in the history of women's football worldwide. Wearing Lyon's shirt (currently OL Lyonnes), Renard built a career of almost uninterrupted achievements, being a central figure in the French club's hegemony in the European scene over nearly two decades. For the national team, she played a prominent role in the 2019 World Cup, held on French soil, when she scored four goals in the competition, helping France reach the quarter-finals.