Australia’s Steph Catley has made the stage at the Ballon d’Or awards in Paris as her club side Arsenal was named Women’s Team of the Year.

But the big prizes went to Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé, and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí.

Arsenal won women’s club of the year at the 69th Ballon d’Or awards. Credit: AP

Catley was nominated among the top 30 players in the world, finishing 29th in the poll, the fourth highest-rated defender in the women’s game.

It was a reward for her role in Arsenal’s Champions League triumph and as stand-in captain for the Matildas in Sam Kerr’s absence.

Catley was the third Australian woman to be short-listed since the Ballon d’Or Feminin was first introduced in 2018, with Sam Kerr having had five nominations – she finished second in

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