Tanechka Tihonova

With a magnetic presence and near-premonitory reading of the game, this center-back dominates the aerial space and intercepts passes as if she were reading the striker's mind, despite her somewhat lumbering top speed. Her calm is legendary since a match where she halted play for two minutes just to teach the referee how to tie his laces properly before executing a flawless block. Though she lacks explosive sprint speed, she dismantles any attack with a defensive intelligence that borders on the mystical.