At the end of her first campaign with Chelsea, the Dutch international won the Women’s Super League Rising Star Award for her outstanding performances in the backline during 2025/26.

Now that she is used to playing in the WSL, she reflected on the strength of the league and picked out her standout moments from her time with the Blues so far.

‘The quality in the whole league, all the teams, is going up,’ she explained. ‘Every weekend there's a big game, and it’s important to take the three points. There’s never an easy game.

‘This is my second season at Chelsea, and winning the Rising Star Award from the WSL was of course really nice.

'I’d also pick out my first goal for Chelsea as another big moment, but being a part of this team means a lot already, and I’m enjoying my football here, being on the pitch with a lot of girls I can learn from.’

Buurman also attended this year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, having been named on the five-player shortlist for the Women’s Young Talent of the Year award. Barcelona’s Vicky Lopez scooped the trophy on this occasion, but the youngster reflected on how it felt to be named as one of the five best young talents in world football.

‘It meant a lot to be nominated,’ she said. ‘I never expected it, but I was really proud and happy. A lot of the girls came to me to say congratulations when I found out – it was a really nice moment on the pitch before training.’

It must be reassuring for a young defender to be playing in front of a goalkeeper of Hannah Hampton’s calibre. Buurman took the time to praise her Chelsea colleague and explained why she feels so at ease with her as the last line of defence.

‘Hannah is really good,’ she continued. ‘She's showing it on the field in every game in terms of when she's on the line, but also on the ball. Her passing is amazing, and she's showing every season how good she is on the field.

‘If you're playing and you know Hannah is behind you in goal, that's really nice. You feel confident. You know she has your back. She’s making saves, she also has a lot of confidence on the ball, and she's showing that every game.’

It’s not just at Chelsea that Buurman is thriving. She’s already earned 20 caps for the Netherlands and will be at the Women’s World Cup in 2027 should they come through their qualifying double header against Slovenia in early December.

‘Every time you put on the national team shirt, it's something to be really proud of and never gets normal,’ she concluded. ‘We have important games coming up in the next international window. We need to qualify for the World Cup. If we qualify, it will be amazing to be there as a team.’