Matildas captain and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has been nominated for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Women’s Player of the Year 2022/23 award — and babes, hand her the damn trophy already!!!
Okay, I’m being very biased, but of course! It’s our Sam Kerr, and even just the nomination has me beaming.
In case you’re not too familiar with this prestigious award, according to the UEFA website, it is based on the player’s performance during the 2022/23 season at a club or national team level.
On Friday, UEFA announced that Kerr would be in the running for the award alongside Spanish duo Aitana Bonmatí — who also plays for FC Barcelona — and Olga Carmona — who is currently at Real Madrid CF.
Australia’s soccer superstar had a stellar 2022/23 season. According to the Chelsea F.C. website, Kerr scored a remarkable 29 goals in 38 appearances. She played her 100th game for the club in an FA Cup win against Arsenal, and she won several awards throughout the season.
“She received the club’s Player and Players’ Player of the Season awards, winning the former for the second year running. She scooped the FA WSL Player of the Year trophy at the London Football Awards for the second consecutive year and if that was not enough, she became the first player to win the Football Writers’ Association Women’s Footballer of the Year prize twice in a row,” the website reads.
And most importantly, she won the hearts of a million Aussies during her spectacular run in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Bonmantí and Carmona were both a part of the Spanish national team that won the 2023 WWC with a 1-0 win against England. Carmona scored the winning goal.
All winners for the UEFA awards will be announced alongside the 2023/24 Champions League group-stage draw in Monaco on August 31.
The winners will be decided by a group of coaches of clubs participating in the group stage of the UEFA Women’s Champions League and a bunch of journalists.
“The final result was based on the total number of votes cast by the coaches and the journalists. The coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own team,” the UEFA website reads.
For now, fans can vote for Kerr and that fucking amazing goal against England in the semi-final — that I saw IRL, not to brag, but I will — for the FIFA Goal of the Tournament award.
You can vote for our captain right here.
Image source: Getty Images / Bradley Kanaris
