Aston Villa Women star Rachel Daly nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s Player 2023
Aston Villa Women star Rachel Daly has been nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s Player 2023 award, according to FIFA.
As per the official FIFA website (14 September), the 31-year-old is one of 16 players to have been nominated for the honour.
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 award winners Aitana Bonmati, Hinata Miyazawa and Salma Paralluelo are also among the nominees.
“FIFA is once again preparing to crown the leading performers from women’s and men’s football in The Best FIFA Football Awards 2023, with a star-studded list of nominees confirmed,” according to the official FIFA website.
Discussing Aston Villa Women star Daly, FIFA wrote: “The versatile England star, who has been a Lionesses lynchpin at left-back, enjoyed a year to remember at centre-forward, finishing the 2022/23 campaign as the FA WSL’s top scorer and Player of the Season.”
Top talent
Daly had an astonishing season last time out, banging in 22 goals from her 22 WSL matches, as well as chipping in with six assists.
She added to that tally with six goals in the Women’s FA Cup, before registering a goal and assist for England in the recent Women’s World Cup.
Daly is more than worthy of her nomination, and will now be eagerly awaiting the result, as will her club, who have congratulated the player following her recognition.
Winning the prize will, however, be very tricky given the quality of players she is going up against, such as the aforementioned Bonmati, Miyazawa and Paralluelo.
Also included by FIFA are the likes of Australia trio Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord and Mary Fowler, as well as Sweden’s Amanda Ilestedt and France’s Kadidiatou Diani.
Closer to home, the Villa ace faces competition from fellow England stars Alex Greenwood, Lauren James and Keira Walsh.
In other Aston Villa news, one Villa man has surely earned his first Premier League start after what he did against Liverpool earlier this month.