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It’s official: Alex Morgan has been nominated for the 2022 Ballon d’Or. The San Diego Wave FC player has been shortlisted by France Football committee for the prestigious award. Morgan joins an illustrious group of nominees that includes last year’s winner, Alexia Putellas (FC Barcelona), Putellas’ teammate, Asisat Oshoala, who is the first African player to be nominated for this award, and Catarina Macario, the Olympique Lyonnais midfielder, who also hails from San Diego.
Nominated for the 2022 Women’s Ballon d’Or… ✨ @alexmorgan13@sandiegowavefc#ballondor pic.twitter.com/ngneH9zhld
— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@francefootball) August 12, 2022
Though Morgan’s nomination might be a surprise to some, it is worth noting that she is having a personal resurgence this season. The forward has become a driving force behind the Wave FC’s attack. As per InStat, Morgan has a total of 15 goals for the Wave FC. She’s also created 21 chances and has 36 shots on target. The stats are combined for both the Challenge Cup and the NWSL’s regular season.
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In league play, Morgan has a total of 11 goals and one assist. She is currently tied with the Portland Thorns’ Sophia Smith in the NWSL’s Golden Boot race. Morgan also scored three goals for the USWNT during international qualifiers, including a penalty that helped them defeat Canada in the final match of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship. With this in mind, it’s not hard to see why she was nominated, and her nomination is a massive boost in publicity for the Wave FC, and will also lend more credence to their project.
It’ll also be a boost to the City of San Diego, as Morgan, one of the most visible athletes to play here, is nominated for global football’s most prestigious award.
The Wave will also be in action again, this Saturday, as they take on the Orlando Pride at home in San Diego. Alex Morgan will lead the line for the Wave at one of their last, three matches at the Torero Stadium, before they move to the Snapdragon on September 17th. Kickoff time for the match will be at 7:30 PM PDT and you’ll be able to watch the game on Paramount+.
So what do you think? Leave a comment below.
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