Megan Rapinoe nominated for FIFA Women’s Player of the Year

Breaking news: Megan Rapinoe is good.

Okay, that’s not exactly a state secret.

From the beginning of Seattle Reign FC’s existence, forward Rapinoe has been an impact player. Club or country, it’s few and far between where Rapinoe is out on the field and not causing headaches for the opposition. For us in Seattle, we are used to Megan Rapinoe doing Megan Rapinoe things, and as of late, Megan Rapinoe is in the form of her life.

Today, FIFA announced they are very well aware of what she’s done on the field as of late. Rapinoe is one of 10 nominees for The Best FIFA Women’s Player of the Year award (formerly known as FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year), which recognizes contributions and achievements players have made for club and country from August 2017 to May 2018.

Rapinoe’s resume during that time frame definitely warrants her inclusion among the other nominees, which include Chicago Red Stars/Australia international Sam Kerr, Orlando Pride/Brazil international Marta, and Lyon/France international Amandine Henry. For club, Rapinoe scored 12 goals in 18 games for Seattle Reign FC in the 2017 NWSL season. For country, Rapinoe was a mainstay on the wing through the USWNT’s friendlies, including the 2018 SheBelieves Cup.

This is the second time Rapinoe has been nominated for FIFA’s highest individual honor. She was on the 10-player nominee list back in 2012 in recognition of her performance at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2012 London Olympics.

On the surface, the recognition and nomination is incredible and well-earned. When you factor in that this is how Rapinoe has been playing into her 30s AND after a torn ACL injury in late 2015, it’s nothing short of remarkable. It happened outside of the window FIFA formally considers for this award, but we have certainly looked back at the brace she scored against Portland Thorns on July 1, 2017 as her declaration of “I am back,” from recovering from the ACL injury.

The fun thing about FIFA’s The Best award is you—yes you, the general public—have a say in who gets the award. Fans are allowed and encouraged to place their votes for three of the 10 nominees to help reduce the field to three finalists. The three finalists will be announced at a later date, but the award itself will be presented at The Best FIFA Football Awards show in London on September 24. So in theory, if Rapinoe gets enough votes from her peers, the media, and you the fans, September could be quite the month of accolades for her if all goes well for Seattle Reign FC the rest of the season and they return to the NWSL Playoffs and capture that elusive NWSL Championship.

Oh, Rapinoe also recently won an ESPY Award for Best NWSL Player in 2018.

And we’re all just here to revisit some Megan Rapinoe highlights. Thanks, FIFA, for giving us a reason to gather around and enjoy just how much fun it is watching Megan Rapinoe play the beautiful game.

So what are you waiting for? Get you a FIFA account and start voting now. Congratulations, Megan!