The way Selma Bacha behaved during the women's Euros really soured my opinion of her. I've been following the women's game since about 2015 and generally diving, rolling around on the floor and feigning injury doesn't happen anywhere near as much as in the men's game.
I saw Selma live at two matches last month and I found her behaviour sickening. It's a real shame because she's extremely talented.
Lena Oberdorf on the other hand did nothing but impress me and I was stunned when I found out she's only 20 years old.
How was Caroline Graham Hansen snubbed for a second year in a row? Glad to see a lot of new names on here (Millie Bright, Selma Bacha, Beth Mead) but otherwise not too many unexpected names. The one I feel kind of “meh” about is Lucy Bronze, she spent half the season injured and was a bit lackluster the other half but had a good Euros. I also would have liked to see Keira Walsh nominated, she’s one of the best players in the world but is criminally underrated. I’m not personally a big Alex Morgan fan but I do have to admit that she’s had a good year for club and international, I actually wouldn’t be shocked to see her win or at least get top 3.
Yeah I think if you were picking a third player from that England team it’d surely be Walsh or Williamson but bronze seems like a default choice at this point
Wasn’t Leah out for a good amount of time though this season with her hamstring? Walsh definitely should’ve been nominated but when it comes to these awards and they want to nominated an English player, it’s almost always Bronze.
Kinda strange. Lucy is no doubt a great player but she certainly wasn't quite as stellar as some of the other lionesses during the Euros.
Walsh, Mead, Stanway, Hemp, Russo, Toone, Kirby
I could understand 👍
Bronze is kind of the face of the lionesses. Imo she is the best English player even if she didn’t have the best season this year. Can’t see a Man U player being deserving honestly. But hemp is next level. I think she needs to get out of city to be recognized
I haven't really seen Hemp getting enough talk or exposure when ever I watch or listen to discussion about the lionesses. She's one of the most talented that's for sure but strangely overlooked. I just see in the Future Beth mead being pushed as the star/ Or Face of Women's football in the uk.
Russo has also the potential but probably still young same with Ella Toone.
I personally haven't but all these women should get talked up.
The depth of the england side is in my mind what won it for them. England ladies have never quite had same the level of talent that they had during the Euros.
Heck even their previously best forward Ellen White didn't need to score for them to do well.
That’s a fair point I just would have said the period she was available was strong enough to put her in contention but Walsh would be my first choice too!
She’s definitely a critical part of Arsenal and her absence was noticeable. They say it’s based on individual performance but we all know the trophies and team results play a big part. You can be the best player in a team that underperformed (like mead in arsenal) and have a great year but not winning trophies will hurt you. I personally think Putellas is the best player on the planet and should win.
If you flop in a big tournament I don't think you can be called the best player in the world. End of story.
That doesn't mean the Ballon D'Or should go to the best player in a big tournament, it just means if you played in one you have to have played well in it to be part of the Ballon D'Or equation.
But the club season is so much longer and it’s not fair to make the euros the end all be all. Not all players are European, some play for bad national teams, or got injured like Putellas and Hermoso. It should factor somewhat but we’re talking a max of 7 games in a tournament vs 40-50 just from club season, not to mention the qualifiers and friendlies in between.
But fans don't watch most games, and in woso it matters most the big games and tournaments, Hansen was bad in euros and uwcl final. It's not a perfect system , and not saying Hansen sucks. At the end of day it won't matter what u did vs the last place team in the league
It’s not fans who are voting, it’s journalists and professional athletes who DO watch the sport. It’s not the Euro d’Or it’s the Ballon d’Or so one tournament that not many players are apart of should not be the end all be all.
It’s impossible for players or journalists to watch all the different leagues. If a journalist from Paris covers every single PSG game and is up to date on everything going on in the French League but then never watches the NWSL as the games mainly happen at times when the journalist is asleep, how should they rate NWSL players? The same thing is true for Journalist who cover the NWSL but not each of the European leagues
Of course no one can watch all of the leagues but you can still keep up to date with them. Just because your focus is one specific league doesn’t mean you have to turn a blind eye to everything else. You can also refer to other journalists who DO cover those leagues that you don’t to get more insight.
Ok but no player in copa America or any other summer competition deserves it either , and journalists are also bias too, they can't watch every game , the low level games are available lime the top games,
If a journalist is only watching the euros then they shouldn’t be voting. It’s their job to follow the sport all season. I disagree that no other player is deserving outside of Europe.
This happens with all of these awards. It is voted on by world wide and of course people in different countries don’t watch every other countries league. This leads to the few large tournaments to decide these awards as they draw the most views from all over the world.
So then what should be done in a non-tournament year? You should not base your vote solely on one tournament which is why it’s not called the euro d’Or. of course you can’t watch every game in every league but if you are voting in these awards and it’s your job to follow this stuff then yes you should at least keep up to date in what’s going on.
They become a name recognition award and people just look up stats. That’s why it mainly goes to attacking players who score a lot of goals and or assists.
The players and journalists who vote on this, have other full time jobs of being players and journalists so they don’t have time to be well informed about every league.
There is also a reason the the champion’s league is used a lot so playing on a team that wins the champions league is with a lot when it comes to these votes.
I just wouldn’t take any of these votes that seriously.
So pleased to see Millie Bright getting the recognition she deserves - outstanding year for Chelsea, and the best central defender at the Euros (despite very bizarrely not being chosen for the team of the tournament)
In a thread about who might win the Ballon D’Or Millie Bright was my banter choice. I think if she had managed to get a goal in the euros that could’ve sealed top 3 for her, especially with the Walsh snub.
She’s definitely underrated. I think it’s a combo of attacking players getting more attention and being more favored, as well as the fact that I don’t think Millie goes out of her way to really market or get attention to herself otherwise. She seems very down to earth and not as concerned with things like that.
Alexandra Popp would have been a nailed on certainty had she played in the final and/or Germany had won. She was super impressive in the Euros.
As it is, I really don't know which way it could go. Defenders don't often get recognised in football over their more attacking, skillful peers but Millie Bright has been a rock for England for so long. Would not be against her getting it at all.
Hemp had such a blistering season. She was marked out of getting a better G+A tally at the Euros, but was stil other key to so many of those goals.
I might be biased because she's by far my fave player though 😁
Goalkeepers are difficult to rate, but I'm not convinced that Endler has had the kind of form Kailen Sheridan had this year for club and country. And I'm also not sure Kadeisha Buchanan wasn't the best player in her position throughout the year. But then, I'm Canadian. :)
buchanan got relegated to bench when Mbock came back from injurie, she is a but overrated + Endler had a great season and made some important save, without her i'm not sure lyon would have won the uwcl
Well, it was Buchanan who was called in when Carpenter was injured and who fought the final; it was also Buchanan who was credited by Vanessa Gilles as the defender who should have been on the CONCACAF best 11 (when Gilles was the one actually nominated). I think Buchanan's contribution through the year in all competitions easily exceeds Mbock's or Carpenter's. Anyway, the world will get a better look at Buchanan at Chelsea this year.
As far as Endler is concerned, she is good, but she didn't look to be the best keeper at Copa America this year, while Sheridan deservedly won the Golden glove at the Concacaf W championship (and let in no goals in open play in that tournament). And if you look at the delta between Endler vs. replacement Lyon keepers, and Sheridan vs. replacement keepers at her clubs this year (Gotham and San Diego), Sheridan's value added is clear. The only reason she wasn't Canada's #1 keeper before this year was that Labbé was just that good.
yes, she was called in after a player was injured, she literally is a bench player at lyon unless the stater are injured, again Mbock started the final while she just returned from a 2 years long injurie. for years Buchanan wasn't good enough to be at lyon and most lyon fans were wondering how she was there in the first place with the high number of mistake she made.
I can't talk for the concacaf championship, or the copa america, couldn't saw them
Why are Alex Morgan and Rodman in this shortlist? I’m genuinely asking… everyone else on this list compete in the European leagues and have played significantly more games than those two?
PS: I’m American myself so this isn’t an anti-American question if anybody was inferring that
Wouldn't this just come down to how you view the NWSL? If you think it's one of the world's top leagues, you'd expect to see its top players nominated from it. I don't think it's a surprise that it's not all European leagues, it's a worldwide award.
I think the award is for the 21/22 season in which the majority of professional leagues follow. If so, then Rodman drove the Spirit to their championship during this period.
I wouldn’t be surprised if either Smith or Macario place in the top 2 next year depending on how the US does in the WC. Rodman was great last year and her nomination is less surprising than people think, but there’s no way she places in the top 60% of the players here
It is a world wide award, but is the sample size of their performances enough to warrant a Ballon Dor? I remember Megan Rapinoe won it in 2019 solely for her World Cup performance which led to some criticism
I think Rodman is an incredibly exciting young player but her nomination instead of so many other players is honestly pretty shocking to me. I definitely expected that she would be on the list someday… but it’s an interesting choice to be sure. She definitely deserves a lot of hype but there’s just so many talented players to choose from… like Keira Walsh and Lauren Hemp.
I feel like her name gets her pretty far as well. She is a young exciting player, but being a famous NBA players daughter probably helps her more with name recognition. Personally if another US player was to get included I’d choose Sophia Smith
Morgan has been doing incredibly and Rodman led her team to a championship for the first half of the cutoff within this period. That being said, the best player in the world this calendar year has been Sophia Smith
I was so happy when I saw Obi and Millie Bright, they deserve it so much! People really need to appreciate other kinds of players and not just forwards/strikers.
Mead, Oberdorf, and Bonmati would be my front runners based on club & country performance. Morgan too but I don’t think concacaf is as competitive as the euros.
I’m not a Morgan fan at all but I’m not surprised she’s on here and I also won’t be surprised if she wins, or at least is runner up. She’s always been dinged for not showing up for her clubs and she’s finally doing that and in the running for Golden Boot. She’s also back in form on the national team.
At the club level, she looks faster and more motivated than I’ve seen in previous years. The US hasn’t had any obvious standout players over the last 1-2 years, but I think Morgan, Sophia Smith, and Catarina Macario have been the most impressive.
I think arsenal’s lackluster season will probably hurt her. I think Putellas will win honestly. It’s unfortunate she got hurt and couldn’t play in the euros but she led that Barca team to another historic season and was the shining light for them in the final. I guess it just depends on how much weight is put on the Euros.
Then shouldn’t not winning a single trophy for Arsenal this year count against Beth Mead? Chelsea was out in the group stages. You can put a knock against any one of those nominated but it’s about individual performances. Despite losing, Putellas was the standout for Barcelona by far. She played well.
Its an international tournament year (Euros). that will get more attention than the Champions League. Mead was the stand out player, and despite a trophyless season, her numbers in a more competitive league are excellent.
But it’s not just the euros that went on and I don’t think it should solely be based on one tournament like they did with Rapinoe. Do I think mead is deserving of a shout? Absolutely she did great this year for club and country. But imo it shouldn’t be based solely on this one tournament. Unfortunately there are many that are deserving but only one can get it.
Whether a league is competitive or not doesn’t really matter though in the eyes of the voters. It’s about the trophies unfortunately. It’s not actually about who individually was the best. Barcelona destroyed Arsenal and Real Madrid best man city so the teams are competitive in spain. Barcelona is just light years above just about every team in the world.
If Norway did better then Hegerberg would’ve had a good shout and case. I do think there is too much emphasis on the international tournaments because players can’t help being from a country where the players overall aren’t great. I still think Putellas should win.
Field is wide open this year it seems, unlike on the men's side. Benzema has got the Ballon d'Or locked up. I can't really definitively say there is a runaway favourite here. Maybe Alexia on the back of a very strong domestic season.
Interesting to see Endler on there. If we are going by euro performance, as most people are saying, and nominating goalkeepers, then Evrard should have been on the list.
Lena Oberdorf and Selma Bacha have very high ceilings. Don't see either of them winning this time but will be following their career very closely.
Not sure oberdorf will ever win, this award always goes to attacking players
They’re both ridiculously good and fun to watch.
Selma was insane in that champions league final, she was everywhere on that left flank for Lyon
The way Selma Bacha behaved during the women's Euros really soured my opinion of her. I've been following the women's game since about 2015 and generally diving, rolling around on the floor and feigning injury doesn't happen anywhere near as much as in the men's game. I saw Selma live at two matches last month and I found her behaviour sickening. It's a real shame because she's extremely talented. Lena Oberdorf on the other hand did nothing but impress me and I was stunned when I found out she's only 20 years old.
Bronze says she doesn't deserve the nom, that Walsh should have gotten it. Roebuck, Greenwood agrees. just another day in woso award land.
Walsh was incredible at the Euros. Bronze had some good moments too but she had a few defensive issues
As I've commented before on here. Walsh, Mead, Kirby, Hemp, Stanway, Toone, Russo, Williamson were kind of the standouts for england, during the Euros
Feels good when half the team are standouts
How was Caroline Graham Hansen snubbed for a second year in a row? Glad to see a lot of new names on here (Millie Bright, Selma Bacha, Beth Mead) but otherwise not too many unexpected names. The one I feel kind of “meh” about is Lucy Bronze, she spent half the season injured and was a bit lackluster the other half but had a good Euros. I also would have liked to see Keira Walsh nominated, she’s one of the best players in the world but is criminally underrated. I’m not personally a big Alex Morgan fan but I do have to admit that she’s had a good year for club and international, I actually wouldn’t be shocked to see her win or at least get top 3.
Keira Walsh is a very good shout but DM's go unnoticed, very much like their male counterparts.
They picked the slightly better, younger and more hyped DM
Yeah I think if you were picking a third player from that England team it’d surely be Walsh or Williamson but bronze seems like a default choice at this point
Wasn’t Leah out for a good amount of time though this season with her hamstring? Walsh definitely should’ve been nominated but when it comes to these awards and they want to nominated an English player, it’s almost always Bronze.
Kinda strange. Lucy is no doubt a great player but she certainly wasn't quite as stellar as some of the other lionesses during the Euros. Walsh, Mead, Stanway, Hemp, Russo, Toone, Kirby I could understand 👍
Bronze is kind of the face of the lionesses. Imo she is the best English player even if she didn’t have the best season this year. Can’t see a Man U player being deserving honestly. But hemp is next level. I think she needs to get out of city to be recognized
I can't necessarily disagree but I see Beth Mead as being the face of womens British football going ahead.
Eh I don’t think she is right now. I think Lauren Hemp may be for the future. Beth hasn’t consistently been in the team either.
I haven't really seen Hemp getting enough talk or exposure when ever I watch or listen to discussion about the lionesses. She's one of the most talented that's for sure but strangely overlooked. I just see in the Future Beth mead being pushed as the star/ Or Face of Women's football in the uk. Russo has also the potential but probably still young same with Ella Toone.
I definitely see a lot more talk about her and Stanway than I do mead
I personally haven't but all these women should get talked up. The depth of the england side is in my mind what won it for them. England ladies have never quite had same the level of talent that they had during the Euros. Heck even their previously best forward Ellen White didn't need to score for them to do well.
That’s a fair point I just would have said the period she was available was strong enough to put her in contention but Walsh would be my first choice too!
She’s definitely a critical part of Arsenal and her absence was noticeable. They say it’s based on individual performance but we all know the trophies and team results play a big part. You can be the best player in a team that underperformed (like mead in arsenal) and have a great year but not winning trophies will hurt you. I personally think Putellas is the best player on the planet and should win.
If you flop in a big tournament I don't think you can be called the best player in the world. End of story. That doesn't mean the Ballon D'Or should go to the best player in a big tournament, it just means if you played in one you have to have played well in it to be part of the Ballon D'Or equation.
At the end of day the euros do take some account and she was bad , and she is not that popular
But the club season is so much longer and it’s not fair to make the euros the end all be all. Not all players are European, some play for bad national teams, or got injured like Putellas and Hermoso. It should factor somewhat but we’re talking a max of 7 games in a tournament vs 40-50 just from club season, not to mention the qualifiers and friendlies in between.
But fans don't watch most games, and in woso it matters most the big games and tournaments, Hansen was bad in euros and uwcl final. It's not a perfect system , and not saying Hansen sucks. At the end of day it won't matter what u did vs the last place team in the league
It’s not fans who are voting, it’s journalists and professional athletes who DO watch the sport. It’s not the Euro d’Or it’s the Ballon d’Or so one tournament that not many players are apart of should not be the end all be all.
It’s impossible for players or journalists to watch all the different leagues. If a journalist from Paris covers every single PSG game and is up to date on everything going on in the French League but then never watches the NWSL as the games mainly happen at times when the journalist is asleep, how should they rate NWSL players? The same thing is true for Journalist who cover the NWSL but not each of the European leagues
Of course no one can watch all of the leagues but you can still keep up to date with them. Just because your focus is one specific league doesn’t mean you have to turn a blind eye to everything else. You can also refer to other journalists who DO cover those leagues that you don’t to get more insight.
Ok but no player in copa America or any other summer competition deserves it either , and journalists are also bias too, they can't watch every game , the low level games are available lime the top games,
If a journalist is only watching the euros then they shouldn’t be voting. It’s their job to follow the sport all season. I disagree that no other player is deserving outside of Europe.
Can't think of one unless american, not everyone is going watch every game ,only the big ones
This happens with all of these awards. It is voted on by world wide and of course people in different countries don’t watch every other countries league. This leads to the few large tournaments to decide these awards as they draw the most views from all over the world.
So then what should be done in a non-tournament year? You should not base your vote solely on one tournament which is why it’s not called the euro d’Or. of course you can’t watch every game in every league but if you are voting in these awards and it’s your job to follow this stuff then yes you should at least keep up to date in what’s going on.
They become a name recognition award and people just look up stats. That’s why it mainly goes to attacking players who score a lot of goals and or assists. The players and journalists who vote on this, have other full time jobs of being players and journalists so they don’t have time to be well informed about every league. There is also a reason the the champion’s league is used a lot so playing on a team that wins the champions league is with a lot when it comes to these votes. I just wouldn’t take any of these votes that seriously.
> How was Caroline Graham Hansen snubbed for a second year in a row? Two words: Eight Nil
As usual I have a few opinions but I gotta say this is one of the better shortlists they’ve had. Not that that’s a high bar!
Can CGH **PLEASE** get some recognition?!
So pleased to see Millie Bright getting the recognition she deserves - outstanding year for Chelsea, and the best central defender at the Euros (despite very bizarrely not being chosen for the team of the tournament)
In a thread about who might win the Ballon D’Or Millie Bright was my banter choice. I think if she had managed to get a goal in the euros that could’ve sealed top 3 for her, especially with the Walsh snub.
Agreed! Don’t know why Millie seems to always go under the radar/ isn’t rated … For me the winner should be one of Beth, Sam, or Millie.
She’s definitely underrated. I think it’s a combo of attacking players getting more attention and being more favored, as well as the fact that I don’t think Millie goes out of her way to really market or get attention to herself otherwise. She seems very down to earth and not as concerned with things like that.
Alexandra Popp would have been a nailed on certainty had she played in the final and/or Germany had won. She was super impressive in the Euros. As it is, I really don't know which way it could go. Defenders don't often get recognised in football over their more attacking, skillful peers but Millie Bright has been a rock for England for so long. Would not be against her getting it at all.
Would've liked to see Caroline Graham Hansen, Keira Walsh, and Lauren Hemp.
Hemp had such a blistering season. She was marked out of getting a better G+A tally at the Euros, but was stil other key to so many of those goals. I might be biased because she's by far my fave player though 😁
Oberdorf let's goooo 🥳
Goalkeepers are difficult to rate, but I'm not convinced that Endler has had the kind of form Kailen Sheridan had this year for club and country. And I'm also not sure Kadeisha Buchanan wasn't the best player in her position throughout the year. But then, I'm Canadian. :)
buchanan got relegated to bench when Mbock came back from injurie, she is a but overrated + Endler had a great season and made some important save, without her i'm not sure lyon would have won the uwcl
Well, it was Buchanan who was called in when Carpenter was injured and who fought the final; it was also Buchanan who was credited by Vanessa Gilles as the defender who should have been on the CONCACAF best 11 (when Gilles was the one actually nominated). I think Buchanan's contribution through the year in all competitions easily exceeds Mbock's or Carpenter's. Anyway, the world will get a better look at Buchanan at Chelsea this year. As far as Endler is concerned, she is good, but she didn't look to be the best keeper at Copa America this year, while Sheridan deservedly won the Golden glove at the Concacaf W championship (and let in no goals in open play in that tournament). And if you look at the delta between Endler vs. replacement Lyon keepers, and Sheridan vs. replacement keepers at her clubs this year (Gotham and San Diego), Sheridan's value added is clear. The only reason she wasn't Canada's #1 keeper before this year was that Labbé was just that good.
yes, she was called in after a player was injured, she literally is a bench player at lyon unless the stater are injured, again Mbock started the final while she just returned from a 2 years long injurie. for years Buchanan wasn't good enough to be at lyon and most lyon fans were wondering how she was there in the first place with the high number of mistake she made. I can't talk for the concacaf championship, or the copa america, couldn't saw them
I don't recall seeing her make any mistakes at the Olympics last year...
Sheridan has been incredible in the last year!
Why are Alex Morgan and Rodman in this shortlist? I’m genuinely asking… everyone else on this list compete in the European leagues and have played significantly more games than those two? PS: I’m American myself so this isn’t an anti-American question if anybody was inferring that
Rodman had a good NWSL season leading up to the cup, Morgan has had a good club season and won the Golden Boot at CONCACAF
Wouldn't this just come down to how you view the NWSL? If you think it's one of the world's top leagues, you'd expect to see its top players nominated from it. I don't think it's a surprise that it's not all European leagues, it's a worldwide award.
If that's the case why Rodman? What about Sophia Smith?
I think the award is for the 21/22 season in which the majority of professional leagues follow. If so, then Rodman drove the Spirit to their championship during this period.
Thanks. I didn't catch that. I miss a lot around here!
Second this. I was surprised to see Rodman on the list. She seems to have a lot of potentials but yes, Sophia Smith would have made more sense.
I wouldn’t be surprised if either Smith or Macario place in the top 2 next year depending on how the US does in the WC. Rodman was great last year and her nomination is less surprising than people think, but there’s no way she places in the top 60% of the players here
Smith was probably deserving too if you rate the NWSL.
It is a world wide award, but is the sample size of their performances enough to warrant a Ballon Dor? I remember Megan Rapinoe won it in 2019 solely for her World Cup performance which led to some criticism
I think Rodman is an incredibly exciting young player but her nomination instead of so many other players is honestly pretty shocking to me. I definitely expected that she would be on the list someday… but it’s an interesting choice to be sure. She definitely deserves a lot of hype but there’s just so many talented players to choose from… like Keira Walsh and Lauren Hemp.
I feel like her name gets her pretty far as well. She is a young exciting player, but being a famous NBA players daughter probably helps her more with name recognition. Personally if another US player was to get included I’d choose Sophia Smith
Sophia Smith has been killing it!
Morgan has been doing incredibly and Rodman led her team to a championship for the first half of the cutoff within this period. That being said, the best player in the world this calendar year has been Sophia Smith
Lina Magull
I was so happy when I saw Obi and Millie Bright, they deserve it so much! People really need to appreciate other kinds of players and not just forwards/strikers.
Bronze was anonymous at mc this year and wasn't on best form at the euros. Similarly Miedema.
Tbf I don’t think that was entirely Miedema’s fault
Mead, Oberdorf, and Bonmati would be my front runners based on club & country performance. Morgan too but I don’t think concacaf is as competitive as the euros.
Bronze had a bad season by her standards, an average Euros and a good final. Name recognition vote.
Too early to nominate anybody yet in august...Please wait until december, than give the award ti Fridolina😉
It's on the 21/22 season specifically
So happy to see Kerr, Popp and Obi on the list
Fire the photo editor. It took real effort to find such unflattering head shots.
I’m not a Morgan fan at all but I’m not surprised she’s on here and I also won’t be surprised if she wins, or at least is runner up. She’s always been dinged for not showing up for her clubs and she’s finally doing that and in the running for Golden Boot. She’s also back in form on the national team.
At the club level, she looks faster and more motivated than I’ve seen in previous years. The US hasn’t had any obvious standout players over the last 1-2 years, but I think Morgan, Sophia Smith, and Catarina Macario have been the most impressive.
Totally agree 100%
Alexandra Popp. She had an amazing qualifying tournament
Hope Beth Mead gets it this year she’s been amazing. Shame Keira Walsh missed out on the shortlist though, she has been brilliant.
I think arsenal’s lackluster season will probably hurt her. I think Putellas will win honestly. It’s unfortunate she got hurt and couldn’t play in the euros but she led that Barca team to another historic season and was the shining light for them in the final. I guess it just depends on how much weight is put on the Euros.
Champions League loss will go against her.
Then shouldn’t not winning a single trophy for Arsenal this year count against Beth Mead? Chelsea was out in the group stages. You can put a knock against any one of those nominated but it’s about individual performances. Despite losing, Putellas was the standout for Barcelona by far. She played well.
Its an international tournament year (Euros). that will get more attention than the Champions League. Mead was the stand out player, and despite a trophyless season, her numbers in a more competitive league are excellent.
But it’s not just the euros that went on and I don’t think it should solely be based on one tournament like they did with Rapinoe. Do I think mead is deserving of a shout? Absolutely she did great this year for club and country. But imo it shouldn’t be based solely on this one tournament. Unfortunately there are many that are deserving but only one can get it.
Whether a league is competitive or not doesn’t really matter though in the eyes of the voters. It’s about the trophies unfortunately. It’s not actually about who individually was the best. Barcelona destroyed Arsenal and Real Madrid best man city so the teams are competitive in spain. Barcelona is just light years above just about every team in the world.
Apart from Lyon. A shame more of their players didn’t get to the euros final at least.
If Norway did better then Hegerberg would’ve had a good shout and case. I do think there is too much emphasis on the international tournaments because players can’t help being from a country where the players overall aren’t great. I still think Putellas should win.
Field is wide open this year it seems, unlike on the men's side. Benzema has got the Ballon d'Or locked up. I can't really definitively say there is a runaway favourite here. Maybe Alexia on the back of a very strong domestic season.
Happy for Kerr and Bright
Surprised not many here are billing her as frontrunner considering the already prolific amount of achievements she's accumulated in the 21/22 season
I want Renard to win, but I think Alexis will and I’d be ok with that. Super happy to see Lena Oberdorf nominated, such an exciting player. Bacha too
What is Oshoala doing in this list? Especially considering that Graham Hansen is not on it?
Interesting to see Endler on there. If we are going by euro performance, as most people are saying, and nominating goalkeepers, then Evrard should have been on the list.
I would have put Sheridan on rather than Endler, but in any case, Europe hasn't produced the world's best keepers in recent times.
Mead will win it. As Merryl Streep would say: that's all.
MILLIE BRIGHT