“What’s it going to take for a defender to win the Ballon d’Or?”
Naomi Girma burst out laughing at the question. “I thought you were going to say the World Cup!”
“Yea, that’d be really cool,” she said about the Ballon d’Or going to a defender. “I like those awards, but I’m more worried about the championships.”
The moment was a perfect encapsulation of the mindset of the 23-year-old center-back with the infectious smile; a player, focused more on the team than herself, and a USWNT starter eyeing the monumental goal in front of her this summer.
Set to embark on her first Women’s World Cup journey, the San Jose, California native has already won so many things in her career.
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It began with a College Cup at Stanford in 2019, her sophomore year, which Girma told The Sporting News was her favorite trophy she’s won so far. She coupled that with a Pac-12 Defender of the Year individual honor, which she won again in 2021, her final season before turning pro.
The winning continued at the pro level, becoming the first player to win both NWSL Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year in the same season. “To be a rookie and to know that it’s not just comparing myself against rookies in the league, but everyone in the league,…
