Beth Mead responds to being called a 'guest' of Vivianne Miedema at the Ballon d'Or awards

England hero Beth Mead has laughed off being labelled a guest of girlfriend Vivianne Miedema at the 2022 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony in Paris.

Arsenal forward Mead attended the glitzy event on Monday with her partner and club teammate Miedema.

The England star was among the favourites to win the women's Ballon d'Or after helping the Lionesses to victory at Euro 2022 this summer.

But Mead narrowly missed out on the top prize, coming second to Barcelona's Alexia Putellas.

A picture of Mead and Miedema taken on the red carpet before the event listed the England international as merely a "guest" of her Dutch teammate.

In reply to a tweet referencing the photo, Mead, wrote: "LOL" followed by a thumbs-up emoji and a crying-laughing face emoji.

Miedema also responded to the mistake on social media.

"Happy I got to take my guest yesterday," she wrote on Twitter, accompanied by a photo of the erroneous picture caption.

Mead was named player of the tournament at Euro 2022 and also won the Golden Boot after scoring six goals and providing five assists.

She also enjoyed a fine season with her club side Arsenal in the 2021-21 campaign, scoring 11 goals and providing eight assists in the Women's Super League.

But it was not enough for her to claim the women's Ballon d'Or, with Barcelona star Putellas winning it for a second successive year.

Last month, Mead opened up about her sexuality and her relationship with Miedema in an interview with Sky Sports News.

"Actually, I've never physically come out and said I'm gay, I'm with a girl because I've not had to," said Mead.

"I'm just being me. I've put pictures with my partner on social media. To me, I've tried to make it the normal rather than make it a statement.

"Obviously for the men right now, they have to put it out in the media to then see what reaction they get and I get the culture in the men's game is still very different and it is much, much harder. But for me, I want to bridge that gap and help the men as much as the women.

"It's a tough process. It is emotionally and physically draining, and I get all aspects for people, but for me, you can't help who you fall in love with and if you are happy at the end of the day.

"You've just got to be happy. Life can be very short."