‘I’ll die happy if I emulate Moore and Beckham’, says England star Bath Mead after SPOTY nomination

Bobby Moore, Paul Gascoigne, Michael Owen, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs. They are the only five footballers to have been crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year in the award’s 68-year history.

On Wednesday night, if the bookies are to be believed, Beth Mead will become number 6 and the first woman on that list of legends.

‘They’re not bad people to be around, are they?’ smiles the Lioness over Zoom on Tuesday. I would take that. I think I would die happy if I went with them.

Beth Mead is the heavy favorite to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award on Wednesday

However, only Moore on that list has done what Mead has done: win a major tournament with England.

The Arsenal forward scored six goals and contributed five assists as the Lionesses triumphed at the Women’s Euro Cup in the summer, being named player of the tournament and taking the Golden Boot.

That’s why Mead is the favorite for SPOTY from a shortlist of six, which includes England’s T20 World Cup final hero and Test captain Ben Stokes, world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, champion world 1500m Jake Wightman, Olympic champion curling gold medalist Eve Muirhead and world champion gymnast Jessica Gadirova. US Open golf winner Matt Fitzpatrick is the notable omission.

“It’s something I never thought I’d be in contention for,” Mead admits. “It’s a bit surreal to be around some of those people. I saw Eve Muirhead at a lot of the Olympics when she was younger. She wowed me and made me watch curling. She would have gotten my vote.

Bobby Moore (left) and David Beckham (right) are among the five footballers to win the award.

‘Sports personality is something we always sit down as a family and watch. I know how proud this will make my mom, dad, and brother.

Mead’s father will attend the show in Salford with her, as will her partner, Vivianne Miedema.

Unfortunately for the Arsenal teammates, however, they will be supplementing their outfits with crutches, having both torn their ACLs in the past month. “It won’t be my most attractive look,” Mead laughs. We’ll seem like a suitable match.

It was announced last week that Mead, who sustained his injury in a 3-2 defeat against Manchester United on November 19, had signed a new contract with Arsenal.

“The timing (of the contract) couldn’t have been better for me because I signed it right before I got injured,” he says.

Mead was player of the tournament and top scorer during the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph

But time is not on Mead’s side when it comes to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next July, and LCAs usually take at least nine months to recover.

Worried about missing the tournament? “Yes, I do it because I think it will be difficult for me to play a football game before that, which is not ideal for a World Cup.”

‘It’s a difficult thought to accept, but my motivation is to try to get as close as possible. And if I can’t, I know I’ve done everything in my power to try and get there.

Mead at least now has Miedema, who has already been ruled out of playing in the World Cup for the Netherlands, to see her through the long road to recovery.

Mead bounced back in style after being left out of the Team GB squad for the Tokyo Olympics.

“We have our protein bottles with ‘Beth ACL 1’ and ‘Viv ACL 2’,” he smiles.

“Obviously, it’s not an ideal situation, but it’s nice that she’s there so we can motivate each other in the gym.”

However, the injuries to Mead and Miedema have further highlighted the well-being of players in women’s football. Mead notes that at least five of the women who finished in the top 20 in this year’s Ballon d’Or voting — herself, Miedema, winner Alexia Putellas, Catarina Macario and Marie-Antoinette Katoto — have suffered ACL injuries.

It was hardly well received, then, when FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced last week that there would be a Women’s Club World Cup in 2025. “It sounds exciting, but it’s something else you’re going to be involved in,” Mead says. .

“I think the programming should be reviewed. We entered the Eurocup and two weeks and a little bit later we were back in a camp again. This is not the time to disconnect as a footballer, both mentally and physically.

The Arsenal star tore his ACL in November and is now a big doubt for the World Cup.

‘Women are six times more likely to have an ACL. You wonder why it happens when there are players playing at the top of the game. Is there anything we can do to prevent it? I think much more research is needed.

At least on Wednesday night, Mead can forget about the rigors of rehab and enjoy a night of celebration with her fellow Lionesses, including Queen of the Jungle, Jill Scott. ‘I used my five free vows every night for her!’ says mead.

Would you like to emulate Scott in i’m a celebrity One day?

‘I would love to. I’m not a fan of all creepy crawlies, but I would love to see if I can overcome my fears and give it a try. But I don’t think it’s coordinated enough for Strictly!’

Mead and her partner, Arsenal and Netherlands star Vivianne Miedema, will attend the ceremony on crutches.

In addition to Mead being up for the top SPOTY award, the Lionesses will almost certainly be named Team of the Year and her manager, Sarina Wiegman, should be crowned Coach of the Year. “Sarina would definitely get my vote,” says Mead. ‘It is enormously thanks to her that she came home.

“It is very difficult to explain how and what he did in such a short time. She had this incredible power to make us all so quiet before the most important games of our lives.

‘After the final we all gave t-shirts to a staff member and I got Sarina and they called me the teacher’s pet. I told him that in my little speech before giving it to him, but he didn’t really understand what a teacher’s pet was, so I had to explain it to him!

Not a day goes by that Mead doesn’t reflect on that glorious day at Wembley in July, when England beat Germany 2-1 after extra time to win the country’s first major trophy since 1966.

“There’s always a memory going through your brain,” she says. ‘We were driving to the Emirates the other day and I was in a car with my teammates Kim Little and Teyah Goldie. We watched Wembley and I said, “Oh look, there’s Wembley, that’s where I won the Euro,” just to wind them up. It’s not something I’ll ever get bored of saying.

“Those memories will stay with us girls and hopefully with the nation for the rest of our lives. It will be nice to see that on a big screen and revive it a bit, but God knows how excited we’ll all be that night.

Imagine how emotional Mead will be, then, if she succeeds 2021 winner Emma Raducanu to be voted Sports Personality of the Year. “It would be amazing if she won such a prestigious award, not even for me, but for women’s football,” she adds.

“After the Euro, people were saying, ‘You’re a national hero,’ and I was like, ‘I’m not, I’m just Beth Mead, I play football, I kick an airbag. It doesn’t really feel real that what I’m doing has gotten me to this point.

BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2022 is on BBC One from 6:45pm Wednesday night