Beth Mead: Voting results show how close Arsenal star was to Ballon d'Or win

Beth Mead finished as the runner-up in the 2022 Women’s Ballon d’Or and voting results show just how close she was to scooping the main prize. 

The Arsenal star was beaten to first place by Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas, who clinched the award for the second year in a row. 

Chelsea forward Sam Kerr finished in third place, while Mead’s teammate and girlfriend Vivianne Miedema ended up 11th. 

Mead enjoyed a stellar campaign for Arsenal last year –– establishing herself as the Gunners’ first-choice winger among a plethora of forward options. 

The England star then carried over her domestic form to international level as she inspired the Lionesses to victory at Euro 2022. 

In the end, Mead edged Germany’s Alexandra Popp to the Golden Boot and was also named the Player of the Tournament. 

Since Sarina Wiegman took over the Lionesses last year, Mead has scored 21 international goals –– more than any other England player. 

Last year, Putellas beat teammate Jenni Hermoso to the award by more than 100 points. 

However, this year’s voting was far closer and results show that the Spaniard beat Mead by just one point. 

Indeed, the Barcelona midfielder secured 164 points in total, while Mead ended up with 163. 

Kerr, who won the WSL Golden Boot and helped Chelsea win the league title, finished with 111 points. 

The winner was decided by journalists from the top 50 nations in FIFA’s global rankings. 

This year's winner and runner-up are separated by just a single point. #BallonDor pic.twitter.com/B0A68PoBx4

Putellas won her second Ballon d’Or in a row, having also been named the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year recently. 

The Spaniard enjoyed an exceptional domestic season –– scoring 34 goals and registering 19 assists. 

Putellas helped