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England star Georgia Stanway has admitted that it is sad to be missing out on the Ballon d'Or ceremony. The Lioness midfielder is away on national team duty as the Women's Nations League matches are going on.
Speaking to the media ahead of the clash with Belgium, Stanway admitted that she wanted to be in Paris for the Ballon d'Or ceremony. However, she has to miss out on it as they are just over 24 hours away from kick off. She was quoted by BBC as saying:
"Obviously it's nice to get the accolade, as well as a lot of my team-mates who have been nominated as well. It's unfortunate that we couldn't be there. We spoke about it as a group and said it would be nice in the future if the ceremony wasn't on a matchday minus one day so we can all enjoy the experience."
She added:
"[It is frustrating] because it's a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You never know if you'll get selected for such an accolade like that again. It would be nice to enjoy the experience and be there. You want to feel like a star among the stars. We've got a game tomorrow, but if it was planned a little better then it would be easier for a lot of female footballers to be there."
Aitana Bonmati is the favorite to win the Ballon d'Or Feminin this year. The Spanish star won the FIFA World Cup with the nation after picking up the Liga F title and the Women's UEFA Champions League last season.
England manager also wants players to be present at Ballon d'Or
England women's team manager Sarina Wiegman also admitted that it would have been nice for her players to be at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. She added that they have been working hard and are unfortunate to miss the event in Paris because of their match tomorrow.
She was also quoted by BBC as saying:
"It would be nice for [female players to go] because everyone is working so hard. Of course we have to do a job and that's what we're here for so they can't attend. It would be really nice if things like that are organised so players could have the opportunity to go too."
This is the fifth year since the Ballon d'Or Feminin was introduced. Barcelona star Alexia Putellas took home the previous two awards with her teammate set to win it this year.
