Khadija Shaw: More Than a Great Goalscorer

Khadija “Bunny” Shaw is a striker for Manchester City and Jamaica. She combines strength, intelligent movement, aerial ability, and calm finishing, making her one of the most difficult center forwards to defend in the women’s game.

During the 2025–26 Women’s Super League season, Shaw scored 21 goals in 22 appearances. She finished as the league’s leading scorer for a third consecutive season, including one shared award, and was named Player of the Season.

Why defenders struggle with her

Shaw can play with her back to goal, protect the ball, and bring teammates into an attack. She can also turn and run into space behind the defense. That combination creates a difficult choice for center backs.

If a defender follows her closely, Shaw can use her strength to hold the ball or create space for another attacker. If the defender gives her room, she can receive, turn, and move toward goal. Crosses create another problem because she reads their flight early and attacks the ball with strong timing.

Her goals are therefore not all produced in the same way. Some come from powerful runs, some from headers, and others from arriving in the correct position for a simple finish. The simple-looking goals often reveal the quality of her movement.

Consistency rather than one great season

One excellent scoring year can come from form, opportunity, or a particularly effective team. Shaw’s record is more persuasive because she has repeated it. She became the first player to reach at least 20 goals in three separate English top-flight seasons.

That consistency means opponents prepare specifically for her. She begins matches as the player defenses expect to stop, yet she continues to find chances.

Shaw carries a different responsibility with Jamaica, where she is captain and the leading reference point in attack. Her role includes goals, but it also includes leadership and the pressure of representing a national team with fewer resources than many larger football countries.

Why she is on the WFA shortlist

Shaw’s shortlist case begins with 21 league goals, but it does not end there. Her movement changes defensive positioning, her physical play gives teammates a reliable target, and her production has continued across multiple seasons.

Voters must decide how that complete influence compares with the creative, defensive, and leadership contributions made by the other players in the field.