How England Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton Became Football's Biggest Comeback Kid

Being an England fan during the Women's Euros was edge-of-your-seat stuff. The last-minute wins, the penalty shoot-outs, the bloody noses, strapped legs and on-pitch celebrations were as entertaining as they were nerve-wracking. But one person who managed to stay calm right through to the final whistle, winning the hearts of fans and critics alike, was Lioness goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.

Hampton, who started out as a striker, fell into goalkeeping by chance when her Stoke City academy team needed someone to step in for their injured goalie. After that one game, she was very quickly scouted to play in goal for her country, joining her first game for England WU15s when she was just 12 (despite her eye condition). After that, her career snowballed: she got her first call-up for the senior team back in 2020, before being announced as the first-choice goalkeeper for the England squad five years later.

Much like the Lionesses' performance during the Euros, Hampton's story is one of "fighting every time until the job is done." British Vogue caught up with the ultimate comeback kid to chat post Euros-victory, being stopped every 10 minutes in the street and the many sides of "iconic" manager Sarina Wiegman.

We were getting told yes or no over FaceTime, and it's as simple as Sarina [Wiegman] calling you up and saying, "Congratulations" – she doesn't beat around the bush! You don't know how to feel… you're obviously excited, but then you're also thinking everyone is going to be watching if you do something wrong, so it's a mix of emotions. But I think everyone's excited – it was a new group, a youthful group, and we knew the capabilities everyone had. Eventually, maybe not the first game, but after that, we showed those qualities.

To be honest, I try not to feel the pressure. But the standard of the women's game has improved massively from even a year ago, let alone the last Euros, so we knew it was going to be tough. But I don't think in our group we once felt the pressure – we made sure everyone showed their individual qualities and brought them to the game, that helped us go out and play with no fear and enjoy the game.

More details: Found here