England and Arsenal striker Beth Mead has been chosen as the BBC’s Sports Person of the Year 2022.
Mead was player of the tournament and top scorer at Euro 2022, where the Lionesses beat Germany in the final at Wembley to win England’s first major trophy in women’s football.
This 27-year-old becomes the first soccer player to win this award.
England cricket team captain Ben Stokes was second, and Winter Olympic curling champion Eve Muirhead was third.
Seven-time world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, gymnast Jessica Gadirova, who won the world floor champion title, and world 1,500m champion Jake Wightman were also shortlisted for the award by a panel of experts, and public voting it decided the winner.
“I am incredibly honored to win this award,” said Mead. “I wouldn’t have done it without the girls. The team supported me. Yes, I won this award, I scored a few goals, but I wouldn’t have done it without them.
“This is for women’s sports and women’s sports going in the right direction. Let’s keep pushing the girls, let’s keep doing the right thing.”
Due to her great performances at Euro 2022, Mead was named player of the tournament, and she also won the Golden Boot with six goals and five assists.
She was also named Arsenal’s player of the season, was runner-up in the Ballon d’Or Feminin and won the BBC’s award for the best female footballer in 2022.
Her international goal tally for the 2021/2022 season. he had 20 in 19 matches, surpassing the record of 13 achieved by Jimmy Greaves in 1960/61.
England, who were unbeaten in the 20 games they played in 2022 – scoring 72 goals and conceding seven in 16 wins and four draws – also won the Sports Team of the Year award, while head coach Sarina Wiegman won Coach of the Year .
Meada’s incredible year to remember
Having been left out of the GB squad for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Mead’s achievement is all the more remarkable.
She scored in four of England’s six games at the Euros, including a hat-trick against Norway in the group stage, pipping Germany’s Alex Popp to the Golden Boot.
She also helped England qualify for next year’s World Cup with a 100 per cent performance and without conceding a single goal.
The Euros were the first major trophy for the Lionesses and the first for the senior England team since the men won the World Cup in 1966.
Domestically, Mead has been in excellent form for her club Arsenal ahead of the tournament, scoring 14 goals and adding 19 assists in 40 appearances in 2021-22 as the Gunners edge agonizingly close to a first Women’s Super League title since 2019, but finished second behind Chelsea with one point.
Meada’s 2022-2023 campaign. she was equally prolific but was cut short after suffering an ACL injury against Manchester United in November, putting her hopes of playing at next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand into doubt.
Presented by Gary Lineker, Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott, Sports Person of the Year 2022 was broadcast live from MediaCityUK, Salford.
Other award winners at Sports Personality 2022
Helen Rollason Award: Rob Burrow
Coach of the year: Sarina Wiegman
Team of the Year: England Women
Young Sports Person of the Year: Jessica Gadirova
Lifework: Usain Bolt
An unsung hero: Mike Alden
World sports star: Lionel Messi