Beth Mead crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year after firing England to their first major international trophy in 56 years at Euro 2022

England and Arsenal winger, Beth Mead has won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year after winning the Women’s Euros and tournament Golden Boot in 2022.

The 27-year-old, who becomes the first women’s footballer to win the award, scored six goals as the Lionesses charged to their first major trophy this summer, beating Germany 2-1 at Wembley in extra-time to win Euro 2022. She was also chosen as UEFA’s player of the tournament.

Beth Mead crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year after firing England to their first major international trophy in 56 years at Euro 2022

She has also been in fine form for Arsenal, completing a stunning turnaround for the winger after she was left out of the Team GB squad for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

In her acceptance speech, an emotional Mead, whose mother June is battling cancer, said: ‘I am incredibly honoured to win this award. I have got this accolade and I did my job, I scored a few goals, but I wouldn’t have done it without my team and I certainly wouldn’t have done it without my dad, my mum, and all my family.

‘Most of all, this is for women’s sport and for women’s sport heading in the right direction. Let’s keep pushing girls and keep doing the right things.’

Mead added: ‘It still doesn’t quite feel real that I’ve won this award. I’ll die happy now. When it’s the nation voting, and people who may not even know you personally, that’s a really nice feeling. It is quite humbling. To beat some of those names is surreal. Stokes didn’t look too chuffed, did he?’

Mead succeeds last year’s SPOTY Emma Raducanu, the first time that women have won the award back to back since 1972.