AwardRachel Furness named BBC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year

The Reds midfielder played a starring role as Northern Ireland defied the odds and qualified for next summer’s European Championship.

In November, she made history by becoming her country’s all-time top goalscorer by netting twice against North Macedonia to take her tally to 38 international goals.

Furness was surprised with the BBC award by Jürgen Klopp at the AXA Training Centre this week.

Liverpool’s men’s boss congratulated Furness and the Northern Ireland team on their achievements this year and wished them success at the Euros.

Klopp also spoke of how they had become ‘game-changers’ in Northern Ireland, inspiring a whole new generation of girls to play football.

A prestigious accolade, the BBC award has been won in previous years by the likes of Rory McIlroy, Carl Frampton, David Healy and Jonathan Rea.

Furness said: “It is a fantastic moment for me to be only the second woman to ever win this award, but it isn’t just about me, it is about my team.

“I want to dedicate this award to my teammates in the Northern Ireland squad. Over the past 12 months we have achieved so much and hopefully this is just the start of something really special.”