Weir Values Scotland World Cup Goal Above Ballon d'Or Recognition
Caroline Weir has been named to the Ballon d'Or shortlist for a second straight year, but the Scotland captain says qualifying for the World Cup with her country matters more than individual honours.
Caroline Weir has been named on the 30-player Ballon d'Or shortlist for the second consecutive year, recognition that follows a year in which she moved from Real Madrid to Lyon, was appointed Scotland captain and finished as Real Madrid's all-time leading goalscorer. The 31-year-old midfielder has also scored 11 international goals, including three hat-tricks, over the past year.
Speaking at Scotland training at St Mirren Park, Weir was typically understated about the nomination, calling it cool and an honour to be listed alongside so many strong players, while describing the award as very subjective. She was far more animated when the subject turned to Scotland's bid to reach the World Cup in Brazil next summer, saying the nomination means nothing if the team does not achieve that goal.
Scotland must get past Sweden, described in the article as back-to-back World Cup semi-finalists, to return to a major tournament. Weir has repeatedly voiced her ambition to qualify, calling it her biggest objective and saying she would trade nominations and goals for the team to reach a World Cup. She did not feature in the second leg of Scotland's first-round play-off against the Czech Republic after being injured in the warm-up, and has yet to return from that injury.
The article notes that even without playing, Weir dominated coverage of that match, underlining her influence on the team. Whether she can attend Monday's ceremony in London is uncertain given a Champions League home match against Inter Milan on Wednesday. Last year she attended the Paris event with her husband Josh and recalled being surrounded by superstars, including a flight from Madrid with Luis Figo seated in front of them.
Her first nomination, in her comeback year from an ACL injury, made her the first Scottish woman to receive one, in the same year Scott McTominay was also shortlisted. During a recent international camp, close friends and team-mates Erin Cuthbert and Claire Emslie presented her with a commemorative shirt. Weir deflected the praise back to Emslie, who recently scored her first goal since becoming a mother, calling her an inspiration.
Weir and Emslie, friends for 20 years, are among six current Scotland players who were part of the squad at the 2019 World Cup in France. Since Scotland missed out on Euro 2025, Weir has spoken openly of her desire to reach Brazil 2027, previously describing herself as borderline desperate to qualify. The article presents her preference for team success over individual acclaim as her own stated position.
Image: SNS / BBC Sport
