Australia captain Samantha Kerr has been voted the second best female player in the world. The Chelsea striker achieved her best ever placing in the Ballon d’Or Feminin by being runner-up to Barcelona and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati, whose teammate Salma Paralluelo took out third place.

It’s the third straight year that Samantha has finished among the top three in the prestigious award, which recognises the world’s best female footballer of the last season. She has also previously recorded finishes of fifth, in 2018, and seventh, in 2019. in the award.

Samantha won a fourth successive Women’s Super League title with Chelsea and lifted the FA Cup for the third consecutive season. At international level she helped Australia reach the World Cup semi-finals and, more recently, scored three goals in the Matildas’ an 8-0 Olympic Games qualifier drubbing of the Philippines.

Fellow Matilda Hayley Raso, who earlier this year became the first Australian player to sign with Real Madrid, finished 17th in Ballon d’Or Feminin voting. Neither Samantha nor Hayley attended the award ceremony in Paris with the Matildas preparing for the third of their Olympic Games qualifiers, against Taiwan in Perth tomorrow night.