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Around this time last year, the nation held its collective breath when Sam Kerr was in the running for yet another chance at taking out one of the highest individual honours in world football.
However, on a Tuesday morning in October, many either watched on or woke to the disappointing, albeit unsurprising news that Kerr had been snubbed yet again. Worst of all, she wasn’t even close to winning.
Barcelona captain and Spanish midfield maestro Alexia Putellas (178 points) claimed the prestigious award instead for the second year running, edging out England and Arsenal stand-out Beth Mead (152 points) in the process.
Kerr, meanwhile, finished third also for the second consecutive year, but with only 74 points. She scored even lower in 2021, with 46 points to Putellas’ 186.
With the previous two years in mind, many Australians would naturally wonder if Kerr will finally be rewarded for yet another stellar season for club and country, and more importantly, take home the coveted Ballon d'Or.
All things considered, the FIFA 23 cover star likely remains an outsider for the award, although there is a chance the cards may fall more in her favour this time around.
Firstly, it is important to establish the process for deciding the award. Presented by France Football magazine, it is determined by a worldwide vote of one journalist from each of FIFA’s 50 top-ranked nations and based on performances across the European season of August to July, rather than a calendar year.
While the history of the award only stretches back to 2018, Kerr and renowned American duo Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan are the only non-European players to have been voted in the top three out of the four times it has been awarded.
The European dominance in the women’s Ballon d’Or thus far may be partially due to the majority of FIFA’s top 50 ranked nations being UEFA affiliated (28 out of 50 in the current rankings), although voters are urged to consider individual performance first, followed by team performance, then fair play.
Despite the individual emphasis, however, the award has a pattern of rewarding stand-out players from winners of major tournaments. Norwegian superstar Ada Hegerberg took out the inaugural Ballon d'Or Féminin in 2018 coming off Lyon’s domestic and continental double. Rapinoe had won the FIFA Women’s World Cup with the USA just five months before claiming the award in 2019.
While no one was awarded in 2020 due to the pandemic, Putellas’ back-to-back Ballon d’Or wins were accompanied by two league titles, two cup titles and the UEFA Women’s Champions League title across the two seasons. She also provided an incredible 23 assists and netted 43 goals for Barça last season, so it is not hard to see why she has won the award twice.
So how do Kerr’s individual and team accomplishments stack up this season, particularly when compared to that of Putellas’ club and international teammate Aitana Bonmatí, who is heavily favoured to win?
Kerr’s success with Chelsea in the FA Women's Super League and the FA Cup were met by Bonmatí’s Barcelona as they claimed honours in both the league and the Supercopa de España. However, the Spanish giants prevailed when the two sides met in the Champions League semi-finals, before ultimately going on to lift the trophy.
It was a similar story at the World Cup, where injury limited Kerr’s match time to only four appearances, two being off the bench, while the Matildas’ fourth-placed finish was dwarfed by Spain’s maiden world title, which saw Bonmatí take home the Golden Ball for player of the tournament.
While Kerr has collected too many individual achievements over the years to count, major honours such as the Ballon d’Or, the FIFA Best award and the UEFA Player of the Year, which Bonmatí recently beat her to, are the ones that have continued to elude her.
This pattern may continue as she will likely face competition for the award this month from fellow nominees Alex Popp (Germany/Wolfsburg), Kadidiatou Diani (France/Lyon), Fridolina Rolfo (Sweden/Barcelona) and Patri Guijarro (Spain/Barcelona), and may miss out on the top three altogether.
Kerr has stressed over the years that she cares little about individual accolades. However, if individual performance is rightfully prioritised in deciding the award, the Chelsea superstar is still a fighting chance.
