Sportz Point Awards 2022 | Female Footballer of the Year: Beth Mead

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.

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 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.