Sports Personality of the Year 2022: Beth Mead crowned winner

22nd Dec 2022 | Source: BBC

England and Arsenal forward Beth Mead has been voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2022.

Mead was the player of the tournament and top scorer at Euro 2022, where the Lionesses defeated Germany in the final at Wembley to win England's first major women's football trophy.

The 27-year-old becomes the first women's footballer to win the award.

England cricket's Test captain Ben Stokes was second with Winter Olympics curling champion Eve Muirhead third.

Seven-time snooker world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, gymnast Jessica Gadirova, who won the floor world title, and 1,500m athletics world champion Jake Wightman, were also shortlisted for the award by a panel of experts, with a public vote then deciding the winner.

"I'm incredibly honoured to win this award," said Mead. "I wouldn't have done it without the girls. The team have backed me. Yes, I've won this accolade, I've scored a few goals but I wouldn't have done it without them.

"This is for women's sport and women's sport heading in the right direction. Let's keep pushing girls, let's keep doing the right thing."

Mead's stellar performances at Euro 2022 saw her named the player of the tournament as well as winning the Golden Boot with six goals and five assists.

She was also named Arsenal's player of the season, came second in the Ballon d'Or Feminin and won BBC's Women's Footballer of the Year award in 2022.

Her international goal tally for the 2021-22 season was 20 in 19 matches, beating the record of 13 scored by Jimmy Greaves in 1960-61.

England, who were unbeaten in the 20 matches they played in 2022 - scoring 72 goals and conceding seven in 16 wins and four draws - also won the Sports Personality Team of the Year award, while head coach Sarina Wiegman won the Coach of the Year accolade.

England footballer Beth Mead nominated for Sports Personality

Mead's incredible year to remember

Having been left out of Team GB's squad for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Mead's success is all the more remarkable.

She scored in four of England's six games at the Euros, including a hat-trick against Norway in the group stage, pipping Germany's Alex Popp to the Golden Boot.

She has also helped England to qualify for next year's World Cup with a 100% record and without conceding a single goal.

The Euros was a first major trophy for the Lionesses and first for a senior England team since the men won the 1966 World Cup.

Beth Mead in numbers

50/29 - England caps and goals, after making her international debut in April 2018

1 - WSL title, won with Arsenal in 2018-19

20 - The age that Mead won the WSL Golden Boot, the youngest ever winner of the award

55 - WSL career goals

77 - Goals for former club Sunderland, coming in just 78 games

61 - Goals for Arsenal. She joined the Gunners in 2017

166 - Appearances for Arsenal in all competitions

Domestically, Mead was in superb form for her club, Arsenal, before the tournament, scoring 14 goals and providing 19 assists in 40 appearances in the 2021-22 campaign, as the Gunners came agonisingly close to a first Women's Super League title since 2019 but finished second to Chelsea by one point.

Mead's 2022-23 campaign was shaping up to be just as prolific but has been cut short after she sustained an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury against Manchester United in November, putting her hopes of playing at next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in doubt.

Presented by Gary Lineker, Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott, the Sports Personality of the Year 2022 was broadcast live from MediaCityUK, Salford.