FIFA Best Award decision called out by rival claiming England star was robbed

28 February 2023 , 10:51

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Alexi Putellas poses with the Best FIFA Women's Player 2022 (Image: Getty Images)

One of the most prominent stars in the international women's game Canada's Janine Beckie has criticised FIFA's Best Award after Alexia Putellas claimed the award for 2022.

Putellas retained the Best FIFA Women's Player award she won last year, beating American forward Alex Morgan and Arsenal and England winger Beth Mead in the final three. Mead eventually finished third in the voting, with Barcelona's Putellas topping the chart with 50 points, earned from the number of votes which come from a selection of national team coaches, captains and media.

But former Man City forward Beckie, capped over 100 times by Canada, didn't agree with the decision. The 28-year-old took to Twitter to state that she believed Mead, who was the top scorer and Player of the Tournament as England won Euro 2022, was a more deserving winner.

Beckie posted: "No shade or denial of the pure talents that Putellas is, absolute world class player but Beth Mead was no doubt the best player in the world in 2022. Euros and WSL… for club and country, miles ahead.

"@bmeado9 (Beth Mead) keep grinding, we see you."

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Putellas was in sensational form in the first half of 2022, as she helped Barcelona win a domestic treble and reach the UEFA Women's Champions League final. However, the captain suffered an ACL injury in training on the verge of the European Championships and has missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season to date.

Mead is also currently on the sidelines with an ACL injury, suffering hers at the back end of the year during a WSL defeat to Man Utd. But before then the former-Sunderland forward had been in the form of her career.

She scored six goals as the Lionesses charged to their first major trophy on home soil later summer, beating Germany 2-1 at Wembley in extra-time to win Euro 2022. Mead was also chosen as UEFA's Player of the Tournament and later won the 2022 BBC Women's Footballer of the Year.

Mead's dream 2022 completed a sensational turnaround only a year after missing out on selection for Team GB's Olympic squad. After making her opinion public, Beckie's replies were full of users saying that Putellas was an equally deserving winner of the award.

And the Canada forward seemed to suggest later on that her original post wasn't a slight on the Spaniard. Beckie later added: "Don't come after me bad a** women all around."

Putellas and Mead were also both named in the FIFA Best XI Women's team. After winning the prize, Putellas praised her fellow nominees during her acceptance speech saying: "Alex (Morgan), and Beth Mead, you deserve this also."

Jack Lacey-Hatton