Matildas captain Sam Kerr is a shock omission from the ultimate three nominees for the FIFA Best Women’s Player of 2022 award.
The Chelsea star was final month named amongst a 14-strong shortlist for the award.
However. the checklist has now been decreased to a few gamers, and prolific striker Kerr isn’t one of many then.
Instead, Spain’s Alexia Putellas (Barcelona), England’s Beth Mead (Arsenal) and American Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride/San Diego Wave) will battle it out of the award.
That’s regardless of Kerr – who was runner-up to Putellas for the award final yr – having loved a stellar 2022.
Her achievements included profitable the English Women’s Super League Golden Boot for a second straight season, being named the English PFA’s gamers’ participant of the yr and claiming the WSL-FA Cup double with Chelsea.
“I’ve mentioned it time and again: she deserves to be the Best Player,” Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson advised ABC’ Summer Grandstand program.
“She’s not only a world-class participant, she’s a world-class individual as properly, and I’m so privileged to get the possibility to work along with her.
“In my opinion, it’s lengthy due for her to get that prize. She ought to have had it already, however undoubtedly this yr.”
Sam Kerr has snubbed for a serious FIFA award. Picture: Matt King/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Kerr’s good type has continued this yr, with the previous Perth Glory attacker having scored 4 objectives for Chelsea on Friday morning (AEDT) in her aspect’s 7-0 League Cup semi-final thrashing of West Ham.
Following the win, she left England to return dwelling to Australia to signify the Matildas within the four-team Cup of Nations match, which begins on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the ultimate three nominees for the Best Men’s Player of 2022 award – French pair Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) and Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain), and Argentina’s Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain) – have additionally been introduced.
The awards are voted on by a world jury respectively made up of all ladies’s and males’s nationwide crew coaches, the present captains of all ladies’s and nationwide groups, one “specialist” journalist from every territory represented by a nationwide crew, and followers registered on FIFA.com.
Former Central Coast Mariners star Alou Kuol had been on a shortlist of 11 for the FIFA Puskás Award for purpose of yr.
But Kuol’s memorable “scorpion kick” effort for the Australian under-23 crew in opposition to Iraq wasn’t sufficient to safe him a spot within the closing three, which is product of objectives from Poland’s Marcin Oleksy, Frenchman Dimitri Payet and Brazilian Richarlison.
The winners of the Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 will likely be introduced in Paris on February 27.
