Barcelona faced a void to fill after Lionel Messi’s departure. A person who changed the game with a wand of a left foot left for PSG in unceremonious circumstances with a club he put on the map. However, they finally found a replacement, or one might say too soon, in the form of Spanish trickster Laine Yamal. The teenager, just 17, razzle-dazzled in the Euros to give his side a sensational victory. Hence, there is an interesting story in the NWSL with Alex Morgan and Jaedyn Shaw.

“I would go back in my room I would cry and then I’d come back out and I’d be like let’s effing go like let’s go and I feel like that was a learning curve for me,” said Jaedyn Shaw after her injury at the Olympics. After suffering a nasty leg injury, forcing her to miss some games, the teenager received support from her teammates. Even her coach Emma Hayes stated how she will be a part of her plans. With Alex Morgan retiring from the game, Shaw has huge shoes to fill as a Messi-Lamine story is on the cards in women’s soccer.

As talented as one can be, Jaedyn Shaw runs rings around the opposition defenses and the 19-year-old skyrocketed to fame in the past two years. Alex Morgan believes this player will be the face of soccer for years to come, despite missing the Olympics.

“[Shaw] didn’t get time at the Olympics but she’s going to have a long career with the national team and in her club play,” Morgan said about Shaw’s potential. And she is right, the player is the new kid on the block with enough experience compared to a veteran.

Jaedyn Shaw – the rightful heir to Alex Morgan’s throne

The player missed games at the Olympics after her leg injury. But since coming back, the player turned on the afterburners. She made 16 appearances, scoring 7 goals and creating an assist for the USWNT, so far. We are talking about a 19YO doing that! She deserves the spotlight.

As for her NWSL career, the San Diego Wave will need a leader to carry the team up front. After winning the NWSL Shield last year, the California-based club dropped the ladder to 10th position this year. This single slide down to the bottom of the league confuses some, but they have a talented player within their ranks.

Jaedyn Shaw stole the limelight in her career by playing over 46 games for the San Diego Wave. Does this ring a bell with Lamine Yamal in your head? In those games, she scored 12 goals and created four assists for her teammates. Therefore, Shaw is rising to the top. As Alex Morgan retired, it’s time for her to take control of the games.

Hopefully, we could see her in the starting line-up of the USWNT at the 2027 Women’s World Cup.