England and Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps has won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2023.
The 70th annual ceremony, broadcast live from Salford, welcomed the biggest sports stars to Manchester.
Earps, 30, is the second female footballer in succession to win the award, after her team-mate Beth Mead won in 2022.
In her acceptance speech she said: “Thanks to everyone for voting for me, I’m very honoured and humbled. This is the ultimate all-round sporting accolade, us Lionesses and Manchester United have had an amazing couple of years. But this is wow.”
The Golden Glove winner played all seven of England’s World Cup matches, conceding four goals and keeping three clean sheets.
Notably she saved a penalty in the final against Spain from Jennifer Hermoso, where England lost 1-0 in August.
This year Earps has also been awarded the Women’s Super League Golden Glove for the 2022-23 season with Manchester United, where the team finished second and she achieved a record of 14 clean sheets.
In 2019 however, the sporting sensation was close to retirement after being the third-choice goalkeeper at the World Cup.
Earps, who did not get to represent her country until 2021, said: “It’s never easy. We all go through hard times. And in whatever walk of life we’re in, I think football is a vehicle, and we can all change the world in some small way. So that’s kind of what I’m trying to do.”
She elevated her national hero status when she challenged Nike’s decision not to make replica goalkeeper jerseys following the Women’s World Cup earlier this year.
A petition urging the sports brand to release a replica of Earps’ green long-sleeved England shirt gained more than 150,000 signatures.
When Nike did eventually agree to stock the jersey, they sold out within a few hours.
The ceremony also saw retired England cricketer Stuart Broad come second in the public vote, while heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson came third.
