There can only be one winner in our Footballer of the Year award. It absolutely has to be Beth Mead.
No other player on the shortlist of nine had the sort of year that she did. Mead was England’s best player, England’s top scorer and voted Player of the Tournament at the Euros last summer. She played the starring role when England won their first major tournament since 1966. And they did it at Wembley.
If the men had done it, this would not even be a debate. Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane or whoever would be a national hero, would be winning every player of the year gong and would be heading for a knighthood. She deserves just as much praise for her part in a tournament which lit up the whole summer.
