Kerr received her fourth consecutive nomination for football’s most prestigious individual award in August after playing a starring role in Chelsea’s charge to the 2021-22 Women’s Super League and FA Cup double.
The Australian’s return from the Asian Cup coincided with the Blues’ upturn in form, where 20 goals in 20 games – including two in the title-winning match against Manchester United – sealed her seventh golden boot award across Australia, the United States, and England.
Though Chelsea fell short in Europe and the League Cup final, Kerr’s double in the FA Cup final underlined the west London club’s domestic dominance and ensured she finished the campaign with 29 goals and eight assists in just 32 games.
It’s the type of production that could see the 29-year-old improve upon her third-placed finish in last year’s ballot, though current holder Alexia Putellas and Lioness Beth Mead could complicate proceedings as voting criteria moves away from the calendar year and in line with the European season.
Putellas leads the list of 20 nominees after producing a campaign carved from the fabric of her 2021 triumph; complete with 34 goals and 19 assists as Barcelona lost just one game in all competitions.
That game, a 3-1 defeat to Lyon in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final, was the only blemish as the Blaugrana barrelled their way through Spain with the league, cup and Supercopa in hand.
Having been named UEFA’s Women’s Player of the Year for a second season in a row, many feel France Football’s upcoming ceremony will be a foregone conclusion at the Theatre du Chatelet, though Mead may yet expose a rare sore point for the Spanish midfielder.
An unfortunate ACL injury on the eve of the Women’s European Championship brought a premature end to Putellas’ season and left Spain without their most prized asset en route to a quarter-final exit at the hands of eventual winners England.
Mead was the standout star in her absence, winning both player of the tournament and the golden boot as the Lionesses made history on home soil with their first championship, secured inside a sold-out Wembley Stadium.
Sarina Wiegman had made Mead the cornerstone of her impressive squad, and the 27-year-old, fresh from her stunning season with Arsenal, duly repaid the faith with six goals and five assists in six games.
The forward’s fine form would have come as no surprise to Gunners fans, who witnessed her produce 14 goals and 19 assists in 40 appearances as Arsenal finished one point shy of WSL winners Chelsea.
Such contributions are enough to leave the 50 journalists in question with plenty to ponder over the coming weeks – as are those of Lucy Bronze, Wendie Renard and Vivianne Miedema, whose production also pose a threat to Kerr’s quest for glory.
SBS and SBS On Demand will air the full Ballon d’Or ceremony on Tuesday, October 18, with coverage commencing at 5:30am (AEDT).
