2 months ago
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JAMAICAN INTERNATIONAL and Manchester City striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw said she was left surprised at winning the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) Golden Boot award after her season was derailed by injuries.
Shaw netted a chart-topping 12 goals this season for her club, level with Arsenal’s Alessia Russo, who also claimed the award.
The difference between the two strikers, however, has been the number of games they have played this year, with Shaw only featuring in 14 games, seven less than Russo.
In fact, Shaw last featured for Man City in the WSL against West Ham in March, before picking up an injury which ended her season prematurely.
Speaking in a recent interview with Man City, Bunny said she was surprised to have walked away with the award because she had been ruled out for as long as she had been.
“It feels good,” Shaw said.
“It was a big shock to me, to be honest, because I only played half of the season, but I think what I did in half a season really was good enough, so I’m very grateful.”
Of her 12 goals, Shaw netted four times against Liverpool, scoring a brace in both of her encounters against the club.
She also netter a hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspurs, along with a brace against Leicester City.
The award also means Shaw has won back-to-back WSL Golden Boots after topping the goalscoring charts last season with 21 goals in 18 games.
She becomes just the third player to win back-to-back Golden Boot titles in the WSL following the likes of Vivianne Miedema, who achieved the feat in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 season with Arsenal, and Sam Kerr, who claimed the title in 2020-21 and 2021-22 with Chelsea.
Shaw also remains the only Man City player to have won the Golden Boot while representing the club, as her current teammate, Miedema, had only done so with her previous club Arsenal.
Shaw had also promised Man City fans that they will better their fourth-place finish next year after a disappointing end to this season.
Much had been expected of City after just narrowly missing out on the title last year.
However, a strong start to their WSL and UEFA Women’s Champions League campaigns was derailed after crucial injuries had affected the team’s competitiveness.
“I’m thankful for my teammates, coaching staff and the fans that supported us throughout the season. We gave it our all, but the season coming, we can ensure that we will definitely be better than the one that past.”
English (US) ·