Sports
VOTING for the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2022 is now open.
Fans from across the world can vote for their favourite from the five-player shortlist of Sam Kerr, Beth Mead, Alexandra Popp, Alexia Putellas and Wendie Renard.
The award started in 2015 and previous winners include Asisat Oshoala, Vivianne Miedema, Lucy Bronze, Kim Little and Ada Hegerberg.
Voting closes at 09:00 BST (08:00 GMT) on 12 October and the winner of the award will be announced on 9 November on BBC World Service and the BBC Sport website.
The five contenders for the BBC World Service accolade were chosen by a panel of experts, including coaches, players, administrators and journalists.
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Here’s more on the five contenders vying for the honour.
Sam Kerr
Age: 29 Country: Australia Caps: 110
Club: Chelsea Position: Forward
It was another standout season in 2021-22 for the 29-year-old, who helped Chelsea win the FA Cup and a historic third consecutive Women’s Super League title.
Her 20 goals in 20 league games saw her collect her second Golden Boot – one of many individual awards for the Australian.
Kerr was named the PFA’s Players’ Player of the Year, Chelsea’s player of the season, the Football Writers’ Association Women’s Footballer of the Year and even scored the goal of the season against Manchester United on the final day.
Kerr, who was top scorer at the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup, became Australia’s all-time top scorer in January by surpassing Tim Cahill’s record of 50.
Beth Mead
Age: 27 Country: England Caps: 47
Club: Arsenal Position: Forward
After a disappointing campaign for both club and country in 2020-21, which ended with her being left out of the Team GB squad for the Tokyo Olympics, Beth Mead bounced back with a bang last season.
Voted Arsenal’s player of the season, Mead racked up 11 goals and eight assists in a campaign in which the Gunners came painstakingly close to clinching the title, missing out by just one point to Chelsea.
That was before the winger became a household name during Euro 2022, claiming the Golden Boot and player of the tournament as the Lionesses won their first major tournament.
Alexandra Popp
Age: 31 Country: Germany Caps: 121
Club: Wolfsburg Position: Forward
It has not been a straightforward year for Germany captain Alexandra Popp.
The Wolfsburg striker missed the majority of the 2021-22 season with a serious knee injury and returned for her club side just before the end of the domestic campaign.
But the 31-year-old forced her way into Germany’s Euro 2022 squad, and after initially starting on the bench, she was soon in the starting line-up and looking back to her clinical best.
She scored six of Germany’s 13 goals en route to the final to tie with England’s Beth Mead for the Golden Boot, only missing out on the accolade because of assists.
Heartbreakingly she had to pull out of the final against England just minutes before it was due to start because of injury, with her side eventually losing 2-1 at Wembley.
Alexia Putellas
Age: 28 Country: Spain Caps: 100
Club: Barcelona Position: Midfielder
Last season was a campaign of many highs for 2021 Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, along with a few lows.
The 28-year-old captained Barcelona to a domestic treble, winning the Spanish league for the third season in a row. Her team won all 30 league matches, with Putellas scoring 18 goals and registering 15 assists.
She twice played and scored in front of record-breaking crowds of more than 90,000 fans at the Nou Camp in Barca’s Champions League quarter-final and semi-final victories. The Catalan club were denied a second consecutive European title as they lost to Lyon in the final.
Putellas’ season ended with further disappointment when she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on the eve of Euro 2022, ruling her out of the tournament as Spain were knocked out by eventual winners England in the quarter-finals.
Wendie Renard
Age: 32 Country: France Caps: 136
Club: Lyon Position: Defender
A dominant figure for club and country, Renard was key for Lyon last term as the French side reclaimed the European and domestic crowns they had lost in 2020-21.
The Lyon captain returned better than ever from an early-season injury to continue her trophy-laden spell at the club, picking up her 15th French title and eighth Women’s Champions League winners’ medal.
In April, the centre-back became the first player to make 100 Women’s Champions League appearances – another milestone for a player who also features in the all-time top 15 players for goals scored and has now appeared in more finals (10) of Europe’s elite club competition than any other player.
Renard scored in both legs of the semi-final win over Paris St-Germain, and her glittering career at Lyon may well continue to a 20th year after she signed a new four-year deal at the club in May.
In July, she was also a central figure in France’s run to the last four of Euro 2022, their best ever performance at the tournament.
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Tags: Ada Hegerberg. Alexandra Popp Alexia Putellas Asisat Oshoala BBC Women's Footballer Beth Mead Lucy Bronze Sam Kerr Vivianne Miedema Wendie Renard
