MY ACCOUNT
England and Arsenal forward Beth Mead is aiming to add further silverware to her collection after a stunning year of success.
Mead, 27, played a key role in the Lionesses’ triumph at Euro 2022, clinching the Golden Boot and being named Player of the Tournament.
The Whitby-born attacker struck six times and provided five assists to pip Germany’s Alexandra Popp to the prestigious accolade and has continued her fine form at club level with the Gunners.
Jonas Eidevall’s side sit top of the Women’s Super League with Mead already notching three goals and three assists.
Arsenal’s No9 was also named runner-up to Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas in last month’s Ballon d’Or ceremony.
And speaking exclusively to LiveScore to mark the launch of her autobiography, Mead explained her ambitions for the future.
She said: “Win more trophies! Especially with Arsenal, that would be a dream.
“But I’m just focused on winning the next game.
“I don’t think I realised how invested I was in the Ballon d’Or so I was disappointed.
“When you get that close to something you kind of want to go that one step further so it’s motivated me to replicate and improve upon that.”
Sarina’s star
The Lionesses’ victory in last summer’s continental showpiece was a historic first for the women’s team.
Sarina Wiegman’s team won all six of their matches en route to landing the trophy in front of a record-breaking 87,192 crowd at Wembley.
Since that 2-1 extra-time win against Germany, England have gone on to book their place at the 2023 World Cup with a perfect qualifying campaign, next facing Japan on Friday and Norway on Tuesday in a pair of international friendlies.
And Mead has explained the secret behind the team’s success and the immediate impact the win has had on both women’s football and her own day-to-day life.
She said: “We had such an environment and culture shift with Sarina and we each just knew our job on the pitch.
“Her communication was to a tee and she had such a calm aura about her that didn’t put too much pressure on us, so we could just play our best football.
“For me now personally, walking down the street is a little bit different with selfie and autograph requests!
“Attendances have been insane. We set a record against Tottenham at the Emirates recently so things have changed quite rapidly.”
World Cup awaits
Before Mead and her team-mates have the chance to win more silverware at next summer’s event in Australia and New Zealand, the men’s team will take centre stage in Qatar.
Gareth Southgate’s side face Iran in their tournament opener on November 21, before encounters with USA and Wales.
On how her compatriots can follow the women’s team’s blueprint, Mead’s advice is simple: “Not putting too much pressure on themselves.
“You get so many external pressures so they just need to go out there and enjoy it.”
Aside from the action on the field, Mead has enjoyed the chance to step away to write her debut memoir.
Reflecting on the process, she concluded: “For me it was a refresh and a recap on life in general.
“It was nice to put on to paper the raw feelings of the Euros and so great to revisit those memories.”
With so much to look forward to in the months ahead, Mead may be making plenty more memories in the coming year.
Lioness: My Journey to Glory by Beth Mead is now available via Orion Books.
