KATIE MCCABE WASN’T sure what was coming when she learned of her Ballon d’Or nomination last month.
The Republic of Ireland captain was on Champions League duty in Sweden when Arsenal manager, Jonas Eidevall, told her the news.
“He called me in and he was like, ‘Can I have a chat with you?’
“I was like, ‘Oh God… what now?’
“He sat down and told me that I had been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, which took me by surprise. I didn’t really believe it.”
Shades of 2017 when she was asked to captain Ireland at the age of 21, and she originally thought Colin Bell was reaching out because she was in trouble.
Six years on, McCabe is right at home among the world’s elite, in the running for the 2023 Ballon d’Or Féminin at a ceremony in Paris this evening.
She unfortunately won’t be in attendance at the Theatre du Chatelet, instead 2,000km away in Shkodër as Ireland prepare for their Uefa Nations League return tie against Albania tomorrow.
The first Irishwoman nominated for the award, McCabe is one of 30 players on a star-studded list, with Spain World Cup champion and Barcelona Champions League winner Aitana Bonmati the hot favourite.
It really is a groundbreaking achievement to be included, and its weight should not be underestimated.
“Crazy, crazy,” the Dubliner beamed to reporters last month. “First Irish women’s player to be nominated. Someone told me the last player was Roy Keane back in 2000, so not bad company!
“You don’t achieve those sort of things or receive those personal accolades without the support and the team around you, that’s with Ireland and with Arsenal. The teams I play in, I’m very lucky to play with the players I do.
“I’m very happy with it, but I’m not sure I’ll be beating Bonmati to the title!”
World’s Elite
One thing’s certain: there will be a new name on the trophy with previous winners Ada Hegerberg (2018), Megan Rapinoe (2019) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and 2022) not in contention.
Bonmati, the World Cup Golden Ball winner and Uefa Women’s Player of the Year, is one of four Spanish World Cup champions recognised alongside Olga Carmona, Salma Paralluelo and Alba Redondo, while Patricia Guijarro and Mapi Leon — both of whom refused to play at the tournament under former manager Jorge Vilda — are also nominated.
Beaten World Cup finalists England have four nominees in Mary Earps, Millie Bright, Rachel Daly and Georgia Stanway, while Australia and Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr is among the other standout names.
McCabe is joined on the prestigious list by her new Arsenal team-mate Amanda Ilestedt of Sweden.
The Ballon d’Or, which is widely regarded as the sport’s pre-eminent individual award, is voted on by a panel of journalists drawn from across the footballing world. Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham are among those in the running for the men’s prize.
McCabe Magic
McCabe’s recognition follows an outstanding 12 months or so in which she was central to Ireland’s historic World Cup qualification as well as consistently starring for Arsenal in the Women’s Super League [WSL] and Champions League. She is a generational talent at the peak of her powers, and vitally important for both club and country.
The 28-year-old was named at left-back in the 2022/23 Champions League Team of the Season after a string of stunning individual performances en route to a heartbreaking semi-final defeat.
McCabe was the only non-finalist included, with Barca and Wolfsburg dominating the XI. After a shock 2023/24 exit to Paris FC in Sweden the day after she learned of her Ballon d’Or acknowledgement, McCabe won’t get the chance to back it up.
She also bagged the WSL Goal of the Season and was named Arsenal’s Player of the Year for 2022/23 — made even more impressive by the fact she went from in-and-out of the team mid-season to club captain, amid an injury crisis, by the end.
McCabe scored three goals and provided four assists in 21 league games; and popped up with two assists in 17 fixtures across the Champions League, FA Cup and title-winning Continental Cup. But it was about much more than those stats for the all-action, versatile player.
Whether at left- or right-back, on either wing, or centrally in attack, she has continuously excelled for Jonas Eidevall’s side. She has too, for her country, whether under the watchful eye of Bell, Vera Pauw or Eileen Gleeson.
While the Ballon d’Or is based on a player’s achievements during the 2022/23 season, ending 31 July, McCabe has made an explosive start to the new WSL campaign with three goals in four games.
Her international exploits through the World Cup will also be taken into account, where she captained her country at their first-ever major tournament. The Moment was her outstanding Olympico, the goal she scored directly from a corner against Canada.
The Kilnamanagh native has been in the form of her life in recent weeks, with four goals and four assists in three Uefa Women’s Nations League wins for Ireland.
She was the star of the show against Albania in Tallaght Stadium on Friday night with a hat-trick and two assists, having scored both of Arsenal’s goals in their 2-1 victory over Bristol City five days earlier. Not to mention she did all of that with a torn tricep.
Praise from Gleeson and Denise O’Sullivan and talk of ‘bangers’ dominated the international build-up, and McCabe certainly delivered, hitting the 25-goal mark on her 79th cap.
Interim head coach Gleeson was tight-lipped on plans to watch the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Shkodër tonight — “We won’t let the moment go unmarked, that’s for sure. But we’ll keep her feet grounded!” — while the nominee herself was similarly low-key.
“Nah, I’ve training on Monday! It’s matchday minus one, so I think we’ve got an evening session in Albania. I might stick it on if I’m able to, but my full focus will be on preparing for Albania on Tuesday.”
No surprises there.
Her 80th cap takes personal precedence, but what an achievement this is.
A real golden period, and deserved appreciation among the world’s best.
“It’s really nice,” McCabe smiled. “For me, I’m really enjoying my football at the minute.
“I want to put Irish football on the map and I feel we’ve done that, we’ve got girls playing all over the world, which is a fantastic thing. The Irish are able to take part.”
And if Katie McCabe has her way, in time, take over.
