大象传媒

Mary Earps has been voted 大象传媒's Women's Footballer of the Year, making history as the first goalkeeper to win the award.

The 30-year-old has received numerous accolades for her contributions to England and Manchester United, among them the Golden Glove when England reached the World Cup final in August.

Fans voted on the 大象传媒 Sport website after a five-player shortlist was selected by a large panel of experts involved in football around the world, including coaches, players, administrators and journalists.

Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmat铆 came second in the voting, while Chelsea forward Sam Kerr finished third.

Sweden and Barcelona's Fridolina Rolfo and Germany and Vfl Wolfsburg's Alexandra Popp were also on the five-player shortlist.

The 大象传媒鈥檚 Maz Farookhi spoke to Mary Earps who told her: 鈥淚鈥檓 really grateful to everybody who voted and I think it's been an incredible year. I鈥檓 so proud to be the first goalkeeper to win this award, that鈥檚 really tipped it for me鈥�to be honest I thought Bonmat铆 might take it.鈥�

She added: 鈥淚 try to use my story as a beacon of hope for people to show that there鈥檚 better days coming and you just have to keep going and to keep fighting. There was a time when no-one was really watching what I was doing and to work hard in silence and on your own, nobody notices what you do. It doesn鈥檛 matter what you do apart from to yourself and your own standards and I think that鈥檚 a big part of being where I am today.鈥�

(Picture: Shows Mary Earps of Manchester United Women at Ashton Gate Stadium on November 26, 2023 in Bristol, England. Credit: Charlotte Tattersall / Manchester United Football Club via Getty Images.)

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