Australia Women’s head coach Tony Gustavsson has had his say on Sam Kerr and her exclusion from being nominated for the FIFA Best Woman award.
Kerr’s exclusion in the final three shortlist was announced just a day after she bagged four for Chelsea in the Blues’ 7-0 Fa Cup semi-final win over West Ham.
Arsenal’s Beth Mead, Barcelona star and current Ballon D’or holder Alexia Putellas, and USA forward Alex Morgan are the three to make the final cut at Kerr’s expense, despite the Australian scoring 32 goals in all competitions for club and country in 2022.
Sam Kerr doesn’t miss those. What a finish! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/jeAyM7Yx3a
— London Is Blue Podcast ⭐️⭐️ (@LondonBluePod) February 9, 2023
The votes were made by a global panel of national team captains, head coaches, and one journalist from each of FIFA’s 211 member associations, as well as fans online.
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Matildas manager Tony Gustavsson told ABC Sport that he believes Kerr should have made the three-woman shortlist.
“I’ve said it over and over again: she deserves to be the Best Player.
“She’s not just a world-class player, she’s a world-class person as well, and I’m so privileged to get the chance to work with her.”
With no Kerr, Mead is the sole WSL representative in their final three and she will attempt to become the first English player to win the award since Lucy Bronze in 2020 when the winner is announced on February 27th.