This morning the BBC women's footballer of the year 2019 shortlist was announced, and wow it makes a nice change to see a couple of different faces, the only 2 remaining from last years shortlist are Harder and Kerr, which they rightfully should retain their place. Gone are the days of only seeing the same names such as Carli Lloyd and Marta, now you get more variety. You see players who normally get overshadowed and those who are really helping women's football become the sport it is becoming today. So here are this years nominees:
Pernille Harder - At just 26 years old she has been capped for Denmark 110 times, and is a regular at Wolfsburg. She is a natural forward and definitely loves to score. In my eyes she is one of the main reasons why Wolfsburg actually do so well.
Ada Hegerberg - The 23 year old Lyon forward is the first ever female Ballon d'Or winner and rightfully so. At just 23 years old she is firing goals in for the fun of it and has helped Lyon to countless victories. I am just gutted we are unlikely to see her at the world cup this year. You can check out more about Ada here.
Lindsey Horan - Now this is the one I am most surprised to see but I am so glad she is finally getting the recognition she deserves. Last season Horan was named the NWSL MVP and rightfully so not just a play maker but also a goal scorer. Lindsey gives 100% every game and really helps out the Thorns and the USWNT (when they give her the game time to prove herself). Lindsey could be key in the USWNT future with the likes of Carli Lloyd starting to look like she is coming up to retirement from the international game. Horan is definitely one to keep an eye out for in the future as at just 24 as long as she stays injury free I can see her becoming one of the household names in the sport. But please Lindsey come play over in England for a bit so I can actually see you play.
Sam Kerr - This is the second year running Sam has been on this list and I am super glad. If you put Sam in front of goal and it is more than likely that ball is heading straight to the back of the net. At just 25 she is already the NWSL & W League top scorer which when you think of other players in the leagues is a huge achievement at such a young age, especially beating the likes of Alex Morgan. Sam has been made captain of the Australian team and honestly I can't wait to see her in this years world cup as I think she could be a huge threat to those she comes up against.
Saki Kumagai - The 28 year old Lyon defender is also nominated this year and I honestly think it was inevitable that a Lyon defender was going to make this list. Their defence is absolutely solid and it is rare you see a goal go in against them. Kumagai captained Japan in the Asia Cup in 2018 and honestly I can't wait to see her if she is called up for the world cup, she is definitely going to make it difficult when England face them.
So there you have it those are this years nominees I had a tough time on placing my vote but there was only one winner in the end. It is about time Lindsey got the recognition she deserves and is stopped being overshadowed by the bigger names in the team when to be completely honest she is playing better than 1/2 the USWNT these days.
You can head on over to the BBC Sport site to place your vote or click here, mine is already placed.
See you soon,
Lucy
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