Jorginho,who won the Champions League with Chelsea and the European championship with Italy,ended up third on 460,ahead of France’s Karim Benzema and Ngolo Kante in fourth and fifth places respectively.

Kerr will again be in action on Tuesday night when the Matildas face the world’s top-ranked side and Tokyo bronze medallists United Statesin the second of two friendlies in Newcastle.

Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or for the first time after an outstanding season with Barcelona and Spain.

The 27-year-old midfielder helped Barca win the treble and scored 26 goals in 42 games overall. She netted in the Champions League final against Chelsea,and in August she was named UEFA women’s player of the year.

“I’m very emotional,it’s a very special moment,” she said at the Paris ceremony through a translator. “I would like to start by thanking all my teammates,especially my current (Barcelona) teammates. For me it’s a collective success.”

The only previous women’s award winners are Norway striker Ada Hegerberg in 2018,and US forward Megan Rapinoe in 2019. Kerr polled fifth and seventh respectively in those seasons.

Last year’s awards were cancelled because the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the season.

Putellas finished ahead of club and country teammate Jenni Hermoso,who netted 31 goals to top the Spanish first division scoring charts for a third straight season. Hermoso was joint-top scorer in the Champions League with Chelsea’s Fran Kirby on six goals.

AP,Reuters

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