Mead and Williamson among four Lionesses recognised in New Year Honours

Four of the Euro 2022-winning Lionesses squad have been recognised for their triumph in the New Year Honours list.

Team captain Leah Williamson, who lifted the Women's Euro trophy after a 2-1 victory over Germany at Wembley in July, has been made an OBE while team-mates Lucy Bronze, Beth Mead and Ellen White become MBEs.

Head coach Sarina Wiegman has also been honoured, as the Foreign Office made her an honorary CBE. It's been a year to remember for England's icons, who have either gone on to shine with their respective Women's Super League clubs or retire on a high note.

Williamson captained England to glory on home soil in the summer, while her Arsenal team-mate Mead was the tournament's top goalscorer and was voted its best player, winning the Golden Boot.

Since then, Mead, her teammates and manager Wiegman claimed the top trophies at the BBC Sports Personality of the year awards.

The Lionesses took home the gong for Team of the Year and manager Wiegman won Coach of the Year. Elsewhere, an emotional Mead accepted the top prize of Sports Personality of the Year - the first female footballer to do so in its history.

It has been a historic year for women's football in England and the Lionesses have set their sights on more success as the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup looms.

White was a key figure in England's attack for more than a decade until her retirement from the game in August. She announced her pregnancy earlier in December.

After a post-Euros move to Barcelona from Manchester City, right-back Lucy Bronze is arguably the England team's highest-profile player, having been voted the best player in the world in 2020.

Will the Lionesses win the World Cup in 2023? Have your say in the comments!

In addition to the Lionesses quartet, Wales captain Sophie Ingle and Scotland skipper Kim Little have been made an OBE and an MBE respectively.

Little's Arsenal and Scotland team-mate Jen Beattie, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, has also become an MBE for services to football and charity.

Former Northern Ireland captain Gail Redmond, who is the women's development manager at the Irish Football Association Foundation, has been made an MBE.

The women join ex-Lioness and I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here 'Queen of the Jungle' Jill Scott, who received her MBE back in 2019. Scott announced her retirement after winning the Euros.

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