The first women’s Champions League of Spanish football has its echo in the international awards for female footballers of the FC Barcelona. After placing eight players in the candidacy for the best eleven of the year, the Catalans began the path of individual recognition that will be finalized with the UEFA award. Lieke Martens, Alexia Putellas and Jenni Hermoso are the three finalists to receive the category of ‘Best Player of the Year’ from UEFA. The two Spanish women make history by standing in a Top 3 in which a footballer of this nationality had never been before.
The UEFA nominations, in three keys:
- None Spanish player had been in this Top 3 before.
- Martens he won this award in the 2016/2017 season after being proclaimed MVP of the European Championship.
- It is the third time a single club is the supplier of the three nominees, after Wolfsburg (2013/2014) and Lyon (2018/2019).
UEFA has unveiled seven of the positions in the Top 10 for Best Player of the Year chosen by coaches and specialized journalists. Among them are two other Spanish, Aitana Bonmatí (5) and Irene Paredes (10), and another representative of Barça, the winger Caroline Graham Hansen (6). In total there are six First Iberdrola players from a list completed by Miedema (Arsenal / Netherlands), Sam Kerr (Chelsea / Australia), Fran Kirby (Chelsea / England) and Pernille Harder (Chelsea / Denmark)
Best players in Europe for UEFA:
- [Por definir]
- [Por definir]
- [Por definir]
- Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal / Netherlands)
- Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
- Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona / Norway))
- Sam Kerr (Chelsea/Australia
- Fran Kirby (Chelsea/Inglaterra)
- Pernille Harder (Chelsea/Dinamarca)
- Irene Paredes (PSG / Barcelona / Spain)
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The winner will be known on August 26 during the men’s Champions League draw in Istanbul. On that date it is also revealed if Lluis Cortés, a former Barça coach, wins the title of best coach, where he competes with Peter Gerhardsson (Sweden) and Emma Hayes (Chelsea).
Merits of the three candidates
Jenni Hermoso (1990) She was the top scorer in the Champions League alongside England’s Fran Kirby. Both achieved six goals that directly influenced their presence in the championship final, where FC Barcelona beat Chelsea (4-0).
- Total goals during the season: 37.
- Top scorer of Primera Iberdrola for the third time in a row (fifth in six seasons): 31 goals.
- Historic top scorer for FC Barcelona after beating Sonia Bermúdez:
- 1 Jenni Beautiful: 126
- 2 Sonia Bermúdez: 123
- 3 Alexia Putellas: 121
- 4 Olga Garcia: 94
- 5 Vicky Losada: 67
- Nine goals in ten games with Spain, qualified for Euro 2022.
- She surpassed Vero Boquete as the national team’s top scorer (41).
Award winners in previous years:
- 2020: Pernille Harder
- 2019: Lucy Bronze
- 2018: Pernille Harder
- 2017: Lieke Martens
- 2016: Ada Hegerberg
- 2015: Célia Sasic
- 2014: Nadine Kessler
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2013: Nadine Angerer
Alexia putellas (1994) led FC Barcelona in the three competitions they won -Liga, Champions and Cup- from the center of the field, actively intervening in the attack as a generator of offensive play.
- Author of the second goal of the Champions League final against Chelsea.
- First woman to score at the Camp Nou (6-0 at Espanyol)
- Named third captain of the National Team along with Jenni Hermoso and Irene Paredes.
- MVP of the Queen’s Cup with a double in the final against Levante (4-2).
- Over 100 league goals
Lieke Martens (1992) was just one goal behind Jenni Hermoso in the Champions League and was decisive in the move to the final, scoring a double in the semifinals against PSG. If she wins the award, she would be the second player to repeat after the Danish Pernille Harder (Wolfsburg and Chelsea).
- 20 goals in 36 games, 5/8 in the Champions League.
- Three assists in the final of the Copa de la Reina (16).
- Eight goals for the Netherlands, including the Olympics.
Top scorers of the 2020/2021 season in the Champions League:
- Jenni Hermoso (Barcelona): 6
- Fran Kirby (Chelsea): 6
- Lieke Martens (Barcelona): 5
- Sam Mewis (Manchester City): 5
- Jelena Cankovic (Rosengard): 4
- Pernille Harder (Chelsea): 4
- Katoto (PSG): 4
- Malard (Lyon): 4
- Oshoala (Barcelona): 4
- Lohmann (Bavaria): 4
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