Man City forward Erling Haaland has been named the Football Writers’ Association Men’s Footballer of the Year for 2022/23; Haaland has scored 51 goals in 47 games for City this season; Chelsea striker Sam Kerr wins Women’s Footballer of the Year award
Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has been named the Football Writers’ Association Men’s Footballer of the Year for 2022/23, while Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has won the Women’s Footballer of the Year award.
The Norway international received 82 per cent of the FWA vote, ahead of Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.
Haaland has contributed an incredible 51 goals in all competitions so far this season as Man City look to secure a historic treble.
The 22-year-old’s goals have come in just 47 appearances and his strike against West Ham earlier this month took him to 35 in the league, earning him the outright record for most goals in a Premier League campaign.
It’s one of a number of records that Haaland has sent tumbling as he looks to inspire City to a historic treble in the final few weeks of the season.
Pep Guardiola’s side are currently top of the Premier League, one point ahead of Arsenal with a game in hand with four games remaining.
Next week they take on Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final with the score locked at 1-1 after the first leg, and they could complete the treble with victory in the FA Cup final on June 3 against rivals Manchester United.
Haaland and Kerr are set to receive their awards at the FWA Footballer of the Year 75th anniversary dinner in London on May 25.
Sky Sports’ writer Adam Bate explains his decision to vote for Manchester City’s record-breaking striker Erling Haaland as the recipient of the men’s award…
Applauding a player is not the done thing in the press box so to feel compelled to do it twice in a season is unusual. Both times were for the same player.
The first was when Erling Haaland was substituted late in the game against RB Leipzig in March. An act of mercy by Pep Guardiola were it not for the fact that the striker had scored five times already.
The second was upon the announcement that he had just broken the Premier League’s single-season scoring record with his goal against West Ham. Number 35 for Manchester City.
On both occasions, there was a sense of seeing history, something that might not be seen again. And an awareness that if it is, Haaland is likely to be the man responsible.
Watching Haaland live is genuinely an experience like no other. It has been a privilege to witness 22 of his goals this season.z
Kerr scoops FWA Women’s Footballer of the Year award
Chelsea striker Kerr has been rewarded for another superb season after being named FWA Women’s Footballer of the Year for a second consecutive year, with Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly and Chelsea team-mate Lauren James completing the top three.
The Australia international has scored 10 goals in 18 games in the WSL and earlier this month scored her 50th league goal in England. She has scored 26 goals in 34 club appearances this season.
Since her arrival at Chelsea during the 2019/20 season, Kerr has helped Emma Hayes’ side secure three league titles, two FA Cups and two League Cups.
She has the chance to add to those honours this season with Chelsea chasing a double. The Blues are currently one point behind WSL leaders Man Utd with a game in hand in what has already been a thrilling title race.
Hayes’ side, who lost to Arsenal in the League Cup final and were knocked out by Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League, also face Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Sunday – a game that will be played at a sold-out Wembley for the first time – as they look to complete another successful campaign.
She will also captain Australia this summer as she looks to lead the host nation to victory at the Women’s World Cup on home soil.
‘Kerr’s a player we can rely on’
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes to Sky Sports on Kerr’s contribution this season:
“She’s such a key player for us.
“Losing Pernille [Harder] and Fran [Kirby] for such a large part of the season, we’ve lost something like 66 per cent of our goal contributions, so Sam has had to find different ways to be involved.
“It’s not just about coming up clutch in big moments, it’s all the other stuff. She’s a great team player, she doesn’t always get the recognition for the work she does out of possession.
“She’s a super talent, someone who I think has adapted brilliantly. She’s become a player we can rely on.”
Manchester United’s Nikita Parris battles with Chelsea’s Jess Carter
Three teams – Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal – are still fighting it out to claim a domestic double as the WSL season approaches its final two weeks.
In a topsy-turvy campaign, three of the country’s biggest clubs have a chance of lifting the WSL title on May 27, with six points separating the trio.
WSL leaders Man Utd take on second-placed Chelsea, who are just a point adrift their rivals, in Sunday’s sold-out FA Cup final at Wembley ahead of an epic finale to the league campaign.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are five points behind Chelsea – both teams having played a game fewer than Man Utd – making them the outsiders in the title race, but the FA Women’s League Cup winners are not out of it just yet.