Australian Samantha Kerr named AFC Woman Footballer of the Year

Australia's Samantha Kerr has been named the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Woman Footballer of the Year.

Kerr, 24, beat Japan's Saki Kumagai and Sung Hyang Sim from the North Korea to claim the award, the third Australian to do so in four years, reports Xinhua news agency.

Kerr has become the face of the Matildas, Australia's national women's football team, scoring 11 goals in the last six games as they rose to a new all-time high ranking of sixth in the world.

"It's been a bit of a crazy year," she said after accepting the award at a ceremony in Bangkok on Thursday.

"I just want to say thank you to every one of my support staff for their help this year, they know who they are. And most importantly to my teammates because without them none of this would have been possible," Kerr added.

Outgoing Socceroos manager Ange Postecoglou was nominated for coach of the year for his role in successfully navigating the longest World Cup qualification campaign in the tournament's history, but was defeated by Japan's Masatada Ishii.

--IANS

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