Shortlist for BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2019 revealed

The shortlist has been revealed and voting is now open for the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2019.

The five nominees, who have been selected for the BBC World Service accolade by a panel of experts, including coaches, players, administrators and journalists, are as follows:

• Pernille Harder – VFL Wolfsburg forward

Harder has a remarkable 110 caps for Denmark at the age of 26. She was part of a Wolfsburg team that secured a consecutive domestic double in the 2017/18 season and she also finished the campaign as Bundesliga top scorer with 17 goals.

• Ada Hegerberg – Olympique Lyonnais striker

At just 23, Hegerberg has had a sensational career so far. She is part of an Olympique Lyonnais team who have won three consecutive Champions Leagues. Last year, she scored a record 15 goals in the competition. The Norwegian, who no longer represents her country, won the inaugural Women’s Ballon d’Or in 2018.

• Lindsey Horan – Portland Thorns midfielder

Horan became the first Portland Thorns player to be named the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) most valuable player. The 24-year-old earned this accolade after scoring 13 goals and creating two assists in 22 matches.

• Sam Kerr – Chicago Red Stars and Perth Glory striker

Kerr is the all-time top scorer in the NWSL and currently plays for both Perth Glory and Chicago Red Stars. She scored 16 goals and created four assists in 19 games for the Red Stars which saw her win her second consecutive NWSL golden boot in 2018.

• Saki Kumagai – Olympique Lyonnais defender

Like Hegerberg, Kumagai has won the Champions League three times with Lyon. She is a World Cup winner with Japan and has 102 caps for her country. For the first time in four years, Japan won the Asian Cup in 2018 with Kumagai captaining the side.

Voting closes on Thursday, 2 May at 09:00 BST (08:00 GMT) and the winner of the award will be announced on Wednesday, 22 May on BBC World Service and the BBC Sport website.