THE LIONESSES have been recognised for their spectacular Euro 2022 triumph by being shortlisted for the Team of the Year category at the Laureus World Sports Awards.
Head coach Sarina Wiegman masterminded England women’s stunning victory in extra time over Germany at Wembley last summer.
The squad have been nominated for the prestigious team accolade alongside World Cup winners Argentina, the France men’s rugby team, the Golden State Warriors basketball team, Red Bull F1 team and Champions League winners Real Madrid.
England forward Ella Toone, who scored the first goal in the final against the Germans, said: “It’s amazing to be nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award Team of the Year.
“It’s nice to have that recognition but we deserve it.
“We deserve the attention we’re getting because of how well we did over the summer.
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“We’re being recognised to show young girls that, yes, women can do it.
“Women can put their mind to anything and achieve whatever they want to.
“For us it’s about being role models to all those young girls starting out in their journey. We just hope that we can be role models to so many more.
“We just want to show them that you can dream big and achieve your dreams.”
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Manchester United midfield star Christian Eriksen returned to football last year after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch in June 2021 when he was playing international football for Denmark against Finland in Copenhagen.
The playmaker, 31, is on the shortlist for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award alongside 15-time major-winning golfer Tiger Woods.
Footballers Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, tennis icon Rafa Nadal and F1 world champion Max Verstappen are on the shortlist for the Laureus Sportsman Award.
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina is among the Breakthrough Nominees.
The shortlists were compiled by a Laureus panel consisting of more than 1,400 global sports media.
Winners of the Laureus World Sports Awards will be revealed in the next two months.
2023 LAUREUS SPORTS AWARDS
World Sportsman of the Year: Steph Curry (Basketball), Mondo Duplantis (Athletics), Kylian Mbappe (Football), Lionel Messi (Football), Rafael Nadal (Tennis), Max Verstappen (F1)
World Sportswoman of the Year: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Athletics), Katie Ledecky (Swimming), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Athletics), Alexia Putellas (Football), Mikaela Shiffrin (Alpine Skiing), Iga Swiatek (Tennis)
World Team of the Year: Argentina men’s football team, England women’s football team, France men’s rugby team, Golden State Warriors, Oracle Red Bull Racing, Real Madrid
World Breakthrough of the Year: Carlos Alcaraz (Tennis), Tobi Amusan (Athletics), Nathan Chen (Figure Skating), Morocco men’s football team, Elena Rybakina (Tennis), Scottie Scheffler (Golf)
World Comeback of the Year: Francesco Bagnaia (Motorcycling), Christian Eriksen (Football), Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Athletics), Klay Thompson (Basketball), Annemiek van Vleuten (Cycling), Tiger Woods (Golf)
Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Diede de Groot (Wheelchair tennis), Catherine Debrunner (Para-athletics), Declan Farmer (Para ice hockey), Cameron Leslie (Para-swimming and wheelchair rugby), Oksana Masters (Para cross-country skiing), Jesper Saltvik Pedersen (Para alpine skiing)
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World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Justine Dupont (Big wave surfing), Stephanie Gilmore (Surfing), Eileen Gu (Freestyle skiing), Chloe Kim (Snowboarding), Rayssa Leal (Skateboarding), Filipe Toledo (Surfing)
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
