BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2020: Former players discuss nominees
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Voting for the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2020 will close at 09:00 GMT on Monday, 2 March – but there’s still time for one last look at the nominees.
The five shortlisted for the award are England and Olympique Lyonnais defender Lucy Bronze, USA and Chicago Red Stars midfielder Julie Ertz, Australia and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr, Netherlands and Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema and USA and Reign FC striker Megan Rapinoe.
Former England and Arsenal forward Kelly Smith, former World Cup winner and North Carolina player Heather O’Reilly, former Australia star Alicia Ferguson and Dutch Euro 2017 winner Mandy van den Berg give their opinions on the five nominees on World Football.
- Listen to the full programme
- Learn more about each of the nominees
If you are viewing this page on the BBC News app please click here to vote.
Lucy Bronze
England and Lyon defender Lucy Bronze is widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world. Completing the treble with Lyon last season, Bronze played a vital part in England’s journey to the World Cup semi-final where they were defeated by eventual champions USA.
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- Read Bronze’s full profile
Smith: “I love her winning mentality – she hates losing – and I think that needs to happen more in the England setup. She is playing with some of the best players at Lyon and she has now put herself in that category.”
O’Reilly: “Lucy’s confidence pours out of her. She has proven herself to be a complete footballer – I think that’s what everyone respects about her. She is not afraid to try and grow herself. She wants to make herself better and it’s really helped the England squad.”
Van den Berg: “She is so difficult to play against. She is a machine. She makes it look so easy, she is such an athlete.”
Ferguson: “She sets herself extremely high standards and she hates losing. There is a real art form to playing in that full-back role and she has perfected it.”
Julie Ertz
Ertz won the World Cup with USA with France in 2019 – the second time in her career after also winning in Canada in 2015. The USA’s player of the year, she plays for NWSL finalists Chicago Red Stars domestically.
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O’Reilly: “I love the energy coming from Julie. I do think her husband Zach Ertz (Philadelphia Eagles tight end) has been a wonderful influence on her and what a power couple they are.
“Julie has become one of the main players in the USA team. She can play in the back line or a midfield position and she plays both at a world-class level. She is also very dangerous in goalscoring opportunities. She can kind of do it all.”
Van den Berg: “I think she has been so difficult to play against. She is such a complete player, she is so strong. She is just a top, top-class player.”
Smith: “I think she is that player the US rely on, someone you really want on your team. She is so dangerous and can be unplayable. She was just an outstanding player for all of that tournament. I think the US only conceded three goals in the World Cup and a lot of that was down to her breaking up play.”
Read Ertz’s full profile
Sam Kerr
Kerr, who recently moved to Women’s Super League side Chelsea, made it to the NWSL final with Chicago Red Star, winning the Most Valuable Player award and scoring the most goals throughout the season. She finished the NWSL season as all-time top scorer and reached the last 16 of the World Cup with Australia.
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Ferguson: “She is really unpredictable. She is great in the air and has pace. I have seen a level of maturity in the last year as Aussie captain. Australia deeply under performed at the World Cup but she still popped up and scored five goals and the great players do that.
Smith: “I think there is so much still to come from her. I almost feel like she has not found her place yet. She is a fantastic player, I love to watch her play. The runs off the shoulders and her finishing is at the highest level.”
O’Reilly: “I think that Sam gets the big picture. We play it to score goals and entertain but at the end of the day we play to win trophies and I know the lack of trophies is something that has been bothering her. Sam is taking a bold step to play at Chelsea, she wants to win. It’s hard in England, it’s an opportunity to have a new evolution in the game.”
Read Kerr’s full profile
Vivianne Miedema
Arsenal and Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema had an impressive 2019 winning the WSL with Arsenal and making the World Cup final with her international side. Whilst competing in France, Miedema became the Netherlands’ all-time top scorer.
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Van den Berg: “She is a player who is so easy going. She is very calm, she is very relaxed – the way she walks and stands on the pitch it is typical of her.
“Her scoring numbers at Arsenal right now are very impressive. You can have the feeling as a defender that you have her completely in your pocket and then she only needs one second to score.”
Smith: “She is very cool, calm and collected. If I was still playing, this is the one player I would like to team up with on the pitch. I would have loved to play with her at Arsenal. I just think she is such a clever player. She just lets the game pass her by sometimes, she lets players run and just watches for spaces. She knows she’s good and I love that about her.”
Ferguson: “She plays the game up front and she is so nonchalant. She wants the ball at her feet. She is always looking to face forward. She can create so much. I have seen a level of sophistication and maturity in Viv that has gone through the roof in the last year. Nothing phases her whatsoever.”
Read Miedema’s full profile page
Megan Rapinoe
USA and Reign FC player Rapinoe became a household name in 2019 after co-captaining the USA to World Cup victory, scoring six goals to finish as top scorer. She also picked up the Ballon d’Or and Best Fifa awards.
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Smith: “Megan Rapinoe grew in the World Cup. Her delivery from both feet, the confidence that she has is infectious. Certainly all of her other team-mates picked up on that. I love watching her play.”
O’Reilly: “What you see is what you get with Megan. She is a true performer. She understands that this game, at its core, is about entertainment. She loves being an entertainer.
“That’s not to say she is not working hard because she is, but she comes alive in the biggest moments. Megan has blossomed late in her career. She was good when she was younger but it has taken her time to blossom on and off the pitch.”
Ferguson: “Rapinoe just delivers. She can go through some games where you do not think she is that involved and then she will pop up with a goal. Her calmness under pressure is so good – I just don’t think pressure affects her.”
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