When Manchester City clinched the Women's Super League title on the final day of the season, the congratulations were rightly shared across the squad. But strip the campaign back to its bones and one truth stands out: without Khadija Shaw, it almost certainly does not happen.

The Jamaica international scored 21 goals in 22 WSL appearances, capping the season with a brace in a 4-1 win over West Ham United that sealed City's first league title in a decade. That performance also made her the first player in WSL history to score 20 or more goals in three separate campaigns — a record that feels almost unfair to frame as merely a footnote.

A season of records

Shaw's achievements this term go well beyond the headline numbers. A 13-minute hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur in March took her WSL hat-trick tally to six, more than any other player in the division's history. A four-goal display against Aston Villa in December made her the first player to reach a century of goals for City. Her double against West Ham brought her to 100 goal contributions — 82 goals and 18 assists — in just 93 appearances, the second fastest any player has reached that landmark.

She also holds the WSL record for headed goals, with 31, four clear of her nearest challenger Bethany England. Add a third consecutive Golden Boot, a record-equalling second Football Writers' Association women's footballer of the year award, and the first ever back-to-back WSL player of the season prizes, and you have a season of quite staggering individual production.

City and Shaw will also have the chance to complete a domestic double when they face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Women's FA Cup final at Wembley later this month.

How does she compare to the WSL's other greats?

The honest answer is: extremely favourably, but with a few caveats worth examining.

Vivianne Miedema — now Shaw's team-mate at City — remains the WSL's all-time leading scorer with 97 goals and holds the single-season record of 22, set during her time at Arsenal in 2018-19. Miedema also holds records for most goals in a single match (six), most goal involvements in a game (10), most assists in a match (four) and most hat-tricks in a single season (three). She is, statistically, the most complete attacking force the division has produced.

Sam Kerr, who departs Chelsea this summer after six years at the club, brings her own formidable case. Her 65 WSL goals contributed to five consecutive Chelsea league titles between 2019 and 2024, and no player in WSL history has a better non-penalty shot conversion rate — 21.5 per cent from 303 attempts. Shaw ranks joint-fourth at 19.7 per cent.

Alessia Russo of Arsenal is part of the conversation too, though her tendency to drop deeper and link play means she operates differently from Shaw and Kerr. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, only Shaw (83 goals) has outscored Russo (56) in the WSL, which underlines quite how dominant the City striker has been in recent years.

Where Shaw truly stands apart is in rate of scoring. Her goals-per-90-minutes ratio in the WSL (1.08) and non-penalty goals per 90 (1.04) are the best in the division's history. No other player sits above the one-goal-per-game threshold. That is a remarkable number at the level and volume of games involved.

The path to the all-time record

Shaw currently sits third in the WSL all-time scoring charts with 83 goals, trailing England (89) and Miedema (97). She needs 15 more goals to overtake Miedema outright, though Miedema could still add to her own tally. The trajectory strongly favours Shaw: she reached 80 WSL goals in 90 games, six quicker than Miedema, who needed 106 appearances to reach the same landmark.

If Shaw continues at anything close to her current rate, she will be the division's all-time top scorer within the next season or two. At that point the debate may well be settled — not by opinion, but by the numbers themselves.

For now, the argument sits in a genuinely interesting place. Miedema's volume and variety of records are extraordinary. Kerr's efficiency from open play is unmatched. But Shaw's consistency over three seasons, her physical dominance in the air, and her sheer goals-per-minute output make a compelling case that no WSL striker has ever been as reliably prolific at the top of the pitch. The conversation is wide open — and that, in itself, is a reflection of just how good the WSL's forward talent has been.

Frequently asked

How many WSL goals has Khadija Shaw scored in total?
As of the end of the 2024-25 WSL season, Khadija Shaw has scored 83 goals in the Women's Super League, making her the third-highest scorer in the division's history behind Bethany England and Vivianne Miedema.
Who holds the WSL all-time goals record?
Vivianne Miedema currently holds the WSL all-time goals record with 97 goals. Bethany England is second with 89, and Khadija Shaw is third with 83.
When is the Women's FA Cup final 2025?
Manchester City face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Women's FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium later in May 2025. A City win would give the club a domestic double after their WSL title triumph.