Why Caroline Graham-Hansen remains football’s most underrated star

Caroline Graham-Hansen has looked decidedly at home in both of her appearances at the Camp Nou this season. 

Indeed, during the first half against Wolfsburg, in the first leg of the Women’s Champions League semi-finals, the tricky winger showcased her talent in full. After picking up the ball on the right flank, Graham-Hansen weaved through several defenders, feigned to shoot, switched the ball to her left foot and then curled one into the top left corner. 

It was a majestic and memorable goal that will be remembered in Barcelona folklore for some time. But it was also somewhat customary by Graham-Hansen’s standards. 

Those who watch Barcelona or the Norwegian national team know of the forward’s ability. Yet, somehow, by playing in a domestic team with countless stars and a Norway side that boasts one of the game’s best-ever strikers, Graham-Hansen remains perennially underappreciated. 

The 27-year-old was snubbed of a Ballon d’Or nomination last year, despite scoring 13 goals and registering 25 assists in all competitions. 

Here’s a look at why the winger deserves more recognition and how she could light up the European Championships this summer. 

There’s something about watching Graham-Hansen dribble that is special to watch. At times it seems as though she glides past players and her technical prowess, in general, is something to marvel at.

The Norwegian cites Rivaldo as her football idol and in many ways, her own effortless ability to beat her opposite number mirrors the former Barcelona and Brazil icon. 

Graham-Hansen has also been described as an ‘atypical’ Norwegian –– renowned for her dribbling and technical finesse, rather than her physicality, like many other Norwegians. 

At the 2019 Women’s World Cup, the