Euro 2022 golden boot winner Beth Mead caps memorable year with SPOTY win

England forward Beth Mead capped a memorable 2022 by being named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look back at the achievements of the Arsenal forward during what has been a stellar 12 months.

Lionesses roar on home soil

Sarina Wiegman’s side captured the imagination of an expectant home nation and delivered as England surged to European Championship glory this summer. Attendance records were broken through the tournament, with a crowd of 87,192 – the biggest for any Euros game, men’s or women’s – at Wembley when England beat Germany 2-1 in the final through Chloe Kelly’s goal during extra-time.

Golden boots

Along with Germany’s Alexandra Popp, who missed the final because of injury, England forward Mead finished as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals. Although the Arsenal striker did not find the back of the net during the final, it was her goal which opened the tournament with a 1-0 win over Austria. She followed that up with a superb hat-trick in the 8-0 demolition of Norway to help set the Lionesses on the road to glory before calming nerves in their semi-final against Sweden with a first-half opener.

Europe’s best

As well as providing the finishing touch in front of goal, Mead also led the assists with five. Mead joined goalkeeper Mary Earps, captain Leah Williamson and midfielder Keira Walsh in the UEFA XI, while also taking the individual accolade for a stellar all-round display. One of 68 different players to score in the tournament, Mead averaged a goal or an assist every 40.9 minutes.

Ballon d’Or breakthrough

Mead started the new Women’s Super League season in good form, with three goals. In October, the Gunners forward finished runner-up in the 2022 Ballon d’Or award to Barcelona star Alexia Putellas, who was last year’s winner, but missed the whole of Euro 2022 through injury.

Focused on recovery

In November, Mead – who had also scored twice for Arsenal in the Champions League – suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in the WSL game against Manchester United. Although set for an extended spell on the sidelines, she vowed to remain working hard to get back on the pitch as soon as possible.