Jamaican soccer sensation Khadija “Bunny” Shaw has made the distinguished shortlist for the Ballon d’Or, becoming a member of an elite group of 30 gamers within the working for the coveted award, cementing her place among the many world’s greatest after a exceptional season with Manchester Metropolis.
The prolific Jamaican striker earned her spot on the shortlist following a stellar season with Manchester Metropolis, the place she netted 21 objectives in simply 18 appearances within the Girls’s Tremendous League (WSL).
Shaw’s spectacular tally, which surpassed her 20-goal haul from the earlier season, secured her the WSL Golden Boot for the 2022-23 season. Though a damaged foot minimize her season barely brief, Shaw nonetheless dominated the awards circuit, choosing up the PFA Gamers’ Participant of the Yr and Soccer Writers’ Affiliation Girls’s Footballer of the Yr honors, making historical past as the primary black lady to assert each awards.
Ceremony on October 28
Shaw is joined on the shortlist by her Manchester Metropolis teammates Yui Hasegawa and Lauren Hemp, together with final yr’s Ballon d’Or winner, Aitana Bonmati. The Ballon d’Or, awarded by France Soccer journal, will likely be offered at a ceremony on October 28 on the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris.
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Since becoming a member of Manchester Metropolis two and a half seasons in the past, Shaw has turn out to be the membership’s all-time main scorer, attaining the feat in March along with her 68th purpose in 81 appearances. She has since elevated her tally to 72 objectives, solidifying her standing as one of the dominant forwards in girls’s soccer.
Whereas Shaw celebrates her place among the many nominees, the soccer world was stunned by the exclusion of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from the lads’s Ballon d’Or checklist. This marks the primary time since 2003 that neither of the 2 international icons, who’ve gained a mixed 13 Ballon d’Ors, made the ultimate minimize.
Males’s nominees
Among the many males’s nominees for the 2023 Ballon d’Or are rising stars and established abilities like Vinicius Junior, Rodri, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane.
The ladies’s Ballon d’Or shortlist additionally incorporates a host of elite gamers, together with Barbra Banda, Lucy Bronze, Caroline Graham Hansen, and Trinity Rodman, amongst others.
Because the anticipation builds towards the October ceremony, Shaw’s inclusion on this elite group underscores her unimaginable journey and rise to international soccer stardom.
