The top scorer and player of the tournament at UEFA Women's Euro 2022, Arsenal's Beth Mead is Sportz Point's choice for Female Footballer of the Year for 2022, with Sam Kerr and Alexia Putellas just misiing out.
Beth Mead finished ahead of the top scorer in the Barclays Women's Super League, Mead also scored six goals at UEFA Women's Euro 2022 finishing as top scorer.
Image- Sportz Point
She has had a tremendous year, clicking into top gear just after the hurt of missing out on the squad for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and both her scoring and assists record for Arsenal set up what was an incredible summer for the now fearless winger.
Mead has enjoyed a glorious year playing for the Lionesses, who won their first-ever international trophy this summer defeating Germany at Wembley Stadium in the UEFA Women's Euro Final. Mead was the top scorer in the finals and voted as the Player of the Tournament.
Her six goals in July meant she had scored 20 international goals in the 2021/22 season, smashing a 61-year old England record held by the legendary Jimmy Greaves, who scored 13 international goals during the 1961/62 campaign.
The forward scored 12 goals and produced 12 assists in Wiegman's first ten games in charge and was part of the squad who lifted the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup in February 2022.
This season, she has picked up where she left off in the summer, with three goals and three assists in the opening matches of the Barclays Women's Super League and two goals in Arsenal's 5-1 annihilation of European champions Lyon on their own ground.
Her club boss, Jonas Eidevall heaped praise on her last month. "Looking back, she of course had a very strong season, both at club and international level. I think she has started this season in a very good way as well, which shows that it's not form, it's consistency. It's her ability to perform at this level, which is so important, to have players like that."
Beth Mead of Arsenal with the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year Award and Vivienne Miedema who won it last year (Image- BBC)
Beth Mead has been crowned the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2022 after firing England to a history-making European Championship that propelled women's football into the mainstream.
The 27-year-old saw off competition from Ben Stokes and Ronnie O'Sullivan to win the prize, hobbling on to the stage at MediaCity in Salford to collect the award after seriously injuring her knee last month.
Beth Mead said she was "speechless for once" and held back tears as she thanked her mother, who is receiving treatment for cancer, and received a standing ovation from the sporting stars in the crowd.
She started the new season in good goalscoring form, but an ACL injury last month will sideline her for a chunk of 2023.
All eyes will be on Wembley as England take on Ireland in a highly anticipated UEFA Nations League clash. As the two footballing nations collide, fans can expect a great contest today.
The Boys in Green arrive at Wembley as underdogs but with no shortage of fighting spirit. Ireland will rely on their teamโs work ethic and tactical discipline to frustrate England and create opportunities on the break. Players like Evan Ferguson and Matt Doherty will be crucial in providing defensive solidity and a cutting-edge in attack.
England delivered a dominant display on Thursday, securing a comfortable 3-0 victory over former group leaders Greece in Athens.
Ollie Watkins, preferred over Harry Kane, struck early to open the scoring within seven minutes, followed by an own goal from Odysseas Vlachodimos that doubled England's advantage. Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones capped off the performance with a stunning backheeled goal on his debut.
This marks Englandโs fourth win in five games under interim manager Lee Carsley, who will step down after Sundayโs match.
Historically, England remain unbeaten against the Republic of Ireland since their 1988 European Championship loss, though six of their last eight encounters have ended in draws
โ Ireland Football โฝ๏ธ๐ฎ๐ช (@IrelandFootball) November 16, 2024
England still has some key players out as a result of injury but Lee Carsely still boasts of a formidable side that can compete against Ireland to secure all 3 points while Ireland is not without any significant absentees a tough test still awaits them at Wembley.
Greece vs England UEFA Nations League: Preview, Head to Head Stats, Permutations and State of Play
Dive into all the details ahead of tonight's football match between England and Greece in the UEFA Nations League where the three lions are expected to exert dominance over their opponents.
England is set to face Greece in their UEFA Nations League group game scheduled to kick off at 1.15 AM IST on 15 November 2024. This match will take place at Spiros Louis Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.
Greece has won all four of their games, continuing their outstanding run of play. The team leads the group with 12 points and an 8-goal edge.
Despite losing one game, the Englishmen have not played poorly either, sitting second in the standings with nine points out of a possible twelve.
Fans should anticipate a very difficult match as a result of the coaching change for the English men's national team, which will bring a mix of new ideas and playing styles.
The three lions of England have always had the better of the Greek national team the UEFA Nations League matches between these sides comes after an 18 year stint of not playing against each other.
Greece got their first ever win against England last month with a narrow 2-1 result. It remains to be seen if they can repeat the same feat in this reverse fixture. With 7 wins from 10 England are the sure favourities in this game.
The absence of several important players, such as Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka of Arsenal, has delivered Lee Carsely a severe blow. Additionally, Grealish, Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander Arnold, and John Stones will not be playing.
His team's setup will undoubtedly be impacted by these injuries since he will need to adjust formations and employ new tactics to guarantee his team's victory.
Luckily enough for the home team there would not be much to worry about as they are only dealing with the absence of Kourbelis and this is due to suspension and not any other reason. It is expected that they will field their strongest side.
Indian Women's League 2024-25 Fixtures, Teams and Everything you need to know
AIFF has announced the tentative fixtures of the Indian Women's League 2024-25, set to kick-off on 10th January 2025. Here is everything you need to know about the Indian Women's League.
The All India Football Federation has released the tentative schedule for the 2024-25 edition of Indian Women's League. Scheduled to be kicked off on 10 January 2025, IWL 2024-25 is going to be the eighth edition of the premier division of women's football league in India.
8 teams are set to participate in the IWL 2024-25, 6 teams from last season, and two teams that achieved their promotion to the IWL from the IWL 2.
From Complete fixtures to the participating teams, here is everything you need to know about the upcoming edition of the Indian Women's League for the 2024-25 season.
Teams to participate in the IWL 2024-25
6 out of the 7 participating teams from last season will feature in this edition, as Sports Odisha withdrew themselves from the tournament. The two promoted teams from the IWL 2, Sreebhumi Football Club and Nita Football Academy are the new inclusions this season.
Odisha FC Women
Gokulam Kerala FC
Kickstart FC
Sethu FC
HOPS FC
East Bengal FC
Sreebhumi Football Club
Nita Football Academy
Teams to watch this season
1. Odisha FC Women
(Image Courtesy | Odisha FC Women on X)
Odisha FC Women have already created history as they became the first-ever Indian Club to play in a Champions League group game. They started their AFC WCL preliminary stage campaign against Singapore's Lion City Sailors with a 4-1 victory over them. Coach Crispin Chhetri and his team etched themselves in history by being the first-ever Indian team to qualify for the Champions League group stage with a 2-1 victory against Jordan's top-flight Champions, Etihad Club.
However, the journey for Odisha FC Women in the AFC Women's Champions League 2024-25 ended up in quite a nightmare as they got knocked out from the group stage after losing all three group games and conceding 24 goals in total! Odisha FC Women faced the worst defeat in their history in the very first game of the WCL as the defending Asian Champions, Urawa Reds Ladies crushed Odisha by 17-0.
But it will be a different story in the IWL because Odisha FC Women will take the field as the defending champions. They finished at the top of the IWL 2023-24 table, winning 10 games out of 12 and collecting 31 points to be crowned Champions.
Odisha FC Women scored a total of 31 goals in the tournament while conceding only 4. The Indian Champions will be one of the teams to watch as they will give their all to resist every calamity to defend and retain their title.
Gokulam Kerala FC is the most successful Women's football club in Indian football with 3 IWL titles won in 2019-20, 2021-22, and 2022-23. They were also the runner-up last season with 29 points in 12 matches. Gokulam Women won 9 out of the 12 games and scored a staggering 33 goals in total.
Gokulam missed out on the Championship by just two points and they will bounce back stronger this season. Gokulam's Forward Fazila Ikwaput became the highest goalscorer of the IWL 2024-25 with 13 goals, and this Ugandan international will again be donning Gokulam's shirt.
Hemam Shilky Devi (Image Courtesy | AIFF)
Hemam Shilky Devi will again lead Gokulam's defence who was officially named the Best Defender of last season. Soumya Guguloth and Sandhiya Ranganathan who scored 7 and 6 goals last season respectively will again play for the title this season.
Players with most assists in international football
From Lionel Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo, Sportzpoint brings you names of the top 10 footballers who have provided the most assists in international football history.
Both in international and club football, goals often steal the limelight but in most cases, the orchestration that creates the pathway of a goal is an assist from a teammate. Every player plays very less international matches compared to club games and that is why it is tougher to accumulate a huge number of goals and assists in international football.
There are some players whose longevity, creativity, and passion for the game let them enter the chart of the players with most assists in international football. Let's look at the list consisting of the top 10 players.
10. David Beckham - 36 Assists
David Beckham (Image Courtsey | RTE)
The British football sensation,David Beckham made his debut with the England national team in 1996 and made 115 appearances before retiring from international football in May 2013.
Beckham was the Ballon d'Or Runner-up in 1999 and he was named English Player of the Year in 2003. In 2008, the FA enlisted him in the English Football Hall of Fame.
Along with 17 international goals, Beckham also made 36 assists which makes him 10th in the list.
9. Mesut Ozil - 40 Assists
Mesut Ozil (Image Courtesy | Sporting News)
One of the greatest playmakers the game has ever witnessed, Mesut Ozil debuted in 2009 for the Germany national team. Ozil played in three world cups with Germany and won the coveted trophy in 2014.
Ozil retired from international football as a form of protest after Germany crashed out of the group stage in the 2018 World Cup and the DFB President Grindel accused him of racism. However, Ozil won the German Player of the Year Award 5 times in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016.
Before retiring, Ozil already made 92 appearances for Germany and had 40 assists by his name.
8. Pele - 47 Assists*
Pele (Image Courtesy | FIFPro)
Arguably one of the greatest footballers of all time, Pele debuted for the Brazil national team at the age of 16 in 1957 in a friendly against Argentina. He lifted three World Cups (formerly known as the Jules Rimet Trophy) for Brazil in 1958, 1962, and 1970 which is a Guinness record for the most World Cup wins by a single player.
The TIME named him as the greatest footballer of the 20th century and Reuters named him as the Greatest athlete of the century in 1999.
According to some estimated data, Pele made 92 appearances for Brazil and he provided 47 assists before retiring from international football in 1977.
7. Cristiano Ronaldo - 47 Assists
Cristiano Ronaldo (Image Courtesy | Eurosport)
One of the most influential athletes of the 21st century and considered one of the greatest footballers ever, Cristiano Ronaldo debuted in the Portugal national team in 2003 and made a significant effect in Portuguese football for almost 22 years.
Winning the EURO 2016 and UEFA Nations League 2018-19 for Portugal, the five-time Ballon winner established himself as the greatest Portuguese footballer of all-time.
Cristiano is now the captain of the national team and he has made 216 appearances for Portugal so far. He is the highest goalscorer ever in the history of international football as well with 133 goals by his name. Besides his brilliant goalscoring prowess, Ronaldo has also made 47 assists in international matches so far.
6. Kevin De Bruyne - 49 Assists
Kevin De Bruyne (Image Courtesy | Goal.com)
Kevin De Bruyne is one of the finest midfielders of this generation for his exquisite playmaking ability and skillful display on the pitch. He is considered one of the greatest Belgian footballers ever and he was a very crucial part of the famous Golden Generation of Belgium.
He was a memorable part of the Belgium squad that finished third in the 2018 World Cup and was included in the official 2018 WC Dream Team.
The 33-year-old midfielder made his Belgium senior team debut in 2010 and has made 107 appearances so far. During this journey, De Bruyne has provided 49 assists as of now.
5. Sandor Kocsis - 50 Assists*
Sandor Kocsis (Image Courtesy | Goal.com)
The Hungarian forward Sandor Peter Kocsis stands fifth on the list. Kocsis debuted for the Hungary national team in 1948 at the age of 18 and played almost 70 matches before retiring in 1966.
Kocsis was the highest goalscorer in the 1954 World Cup with 11 goals including two hat-tricks. He also scored 6 goals for the Hungary national team in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and led them to win the Gold medal.
According to estimated data sources, Sandor Kocsis scored 75 goals for the national team and he also made 50 assists in international football.
4. Ferenc Puskรกs - 53 Assists*
Ferenc Puskas (Image Courtesy | Facts.net)
Another Hungarian, and probably the greatest Hungarian footballer ever, Ferenc Puskรกs made his debut for the Hungary national team in 1945. He played 85 games for the national team and scored 84 goals.
Puskรกs was another crucial part of the Hungary team that won the Gold medal in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics as he scored 4 goals in that tournament. Puskรกs also scored 4 goals in the 1954 World Cup including the opening goal in the final but Hungary lost to West Germany by 2-3.
Puskรกs also played for the Spain national team for 4 times. He was named European Player of the 20th Century by L'Equipe.
Before retiring from football in 1966, Puskรกs had 53 assists by his name.
3. Lionel Messi - 57 Assists
Lionel Messi (Image Courtesy | Agencia EFE)
Arguably considered the greatest footballer ever, Lionel Messi is both one of the best goalscorers and playmakers to ever grace the game. Debuting in 2005, Lionel Messi has made 189 appearances for the Argentina national team so far.
Messi's greatest honour with the national team came in 2022 when he led Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup, and he was named the Best Player of the Tournament. Messi is the only player to win two Golden Ball awards in 2014 and 2022.
The record 8-time Ballon winner also won two Copa Americas with Argentina, consecutively in 2021 and 2024.
With 112 goals for the national team, he also made 57 assists in international games and he will surely surpass the toppers of the list in his remaining appearances for Argentina.
2. Neymar Jr. - 58 Assists
Neymar Jr. (Image Courtesy | CNN)
The greatest Brazilian footballer of this generation, Neymar Jr. is another forward whose display is not only exquisite in goalscoring but also in playmaking.
Neymar Jr. made his debut with the Brazilian national team in 2010 and won the Golden Ball for being selected as the best player of the tournament in Brazil's Confederations Cup triumph in 2013. He scored 4 goals and made 2 assists in 5 matches in that tournament.
However, after suffering a horrendous injury in the 2014 World Cup, Neymar led the Brazil team to win the Olympics Gold on home soil in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Neymar is also the all-time highest goalscorer of Brazil's national football team with 79 goals by his name. Neymar is tied with the leader on this list with his 58 assists in 129 international appearances but he will surely clinch the top spot in his remaining career.
1. Landon Donovan - 58 Assists
Landon Donovan (Image Source| X)
The USMNT footballing legend is the leader in this list which may shock some but does not demean his excellence. Landon Donovan is considered the greatest footballer the USMNT has ever had. Making his debut in 2000 for the USMNT, he made 157 appearances before retiring from international football in 2014.
Landon Donovan appeared in 3 editions of the World Cup and scored 5 goals in 12 World Cup appearances. He also won 4 CONCACAF Gold Cups with USMNT in 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2013. After his retirement, Donovan was named as the greatest-ever USMNT player by The Guardian.
Landon Donovan is still atop the list with 58 international assists by his name.
NB:In case of starred (*) players, there are no authentic records, and their stats are mostly estimated by various sources.
AFC WCL 2024-25 | Odisha FC Women crushed 17-0 by Urawa Reds Ladies
Odisha FC Women faced a heartbreaking 0-17 defeat against Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies in the 2024-25 AFC Women's Champions League Group Stage at theย Thong Nhat Stadium in Vietnam on 6th October 2024.ย
After creating history by winning two out of two games in the preliminary round to qualify for the group stage, Odisha FC Women faced a humiliating 0-17 thrashing in their AFC Women's Champions League Group stage debut against Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Vietnam on 6th October 2024.
A horrifying start for Odisha FC Women
Urawa Reds Ladies completely outplayed the Indian Club right from the beginning of the game to the very last minute. Yu Endo started the goals galore for Urawa in the 5th minute of the game, and Yuzuho Shiokoshi produced a first-half hat-trick that led the Japanese Side to have an 8-0 lead at half-time.
Odisha FC had no answer against the 2023 AFC Women's Club Championship winners as Miki Ito scored 4 goals in the second half. The horror ended for Odisha FC with a scoreline of 17-0 against them when the final whistle was blown.
Urawa Reds Ladies after the first goal. (Image Credit | the-AFC.com)
Urawa Reds Ladies registered a total of 56 shots throughout the game and 29 of them were on target, whereas Odisha FC Women had only 1 shot but it was on target. Odisha FC could complete 196 passes only, with a 47% pass accuracy. Urawa Reds also dominated the game with 77% ball possession to create history in the inaugural AFC Women's Champions League 2024.
Odisha FC missed their key striker Pyari Xaxa for the game who suffered a minor accident prior to their flight to Vietnam. Another striker, Grace Haunhar was also absent from the squad for a 5-match-ban handed by AFC for a red card in Odisha's match against Etihad Club in the preliminary stage.
Odisha FC Women qualified for the inaugural AFC Women's Champions League 2024 preliminary stage as they were the champions of the Indian Women's League 2023-24.
๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐! The girls have done it. They have done it. ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ณ#OFCW qualifies for the Group Stage of the inaugural AFC Women's Champions League. ๐#odishAFC#OFCWomen | #AWCL#IndianFootballpic.twitter.com/xqBR5k3xpv
Odisha FC Women will resume their group stage journey in the tournament on 9th October 2024 by taking on the Vietnamese side Ho Chi Minh City Women's Football Club.
Later, they will face the Taiwanese outfit Taichung Blue Whale FC in their final game of the group stage scheduled on 12th October 2024.
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