Ilestedt and McCabe discover Ballon d'Or positions

Amanda Ilestedt has finished 15th in the voting for the women’s Ballon d’Or, while Katie McCabe came in 22nd position.

Barcelona and Spain forward Aitana Bonmati was the winner, having lifted the Champions League and World Cup in a season that saw her win the UEFA Player of the Year and the Golden Ball as she helped her nation win their first global prize at the finals in New Zealand and Australia.

Chelsea’s Sam Kerr came in second spot, while Bonmati’s Barcelona teammate Salma Paralluelo was third.

Summer recruit Amanda was one of the stars of the World Cup, as she scored four times including the winner against South Africa in Sweden’s opening match, before securing a brace against Italy and adding another against Japan in the quarter-finals to help her side to an eventual third-place finish. She was awarded the Bronze Ball at the conclusion as she was deemed to be the third-best player in the competition.

The centre-back spent last season at PSG whom she helped to a second-place finish in the league, finish runners-up in the French Cup, and embark on a run to the last eight of the Champions League before arriving in north London.

Katie was also recognised for her performances during 2022/23, which saw her crowned our Player of the Season, playing 21 times in our league campaign, and made a further 12 more appearances in our run to the Champions League semi-finals, with her displays in that tournament seeing her selected in the UEFA Team of the Season. She also lifted the Continental Tyres League Cup during a successful season at club level.

Following that, she went on to captain the Republic of Ireland at the 2023 World Cup, scoring her nation’s first-ever goal in the competition against Canada. She featured three times at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

Also at the ceremony, Bukayo Saka finished 24th and Martin Odegaard 28th in the voting for the men's Ballon d’Or, while Aaron Ramsdale came 8th in the running for the Yashin Trophy.