Lives and loves of the Lionesses: The quirky secrets of the England women’s team who could end 57 years of hurt and bring home the World Cup
They’re the footballing stars who have captivated the nation and will today fight for the greatest prize in their sport. But how well do you know them? From donning false eyelashes before matches, to table-dancing and a love of gin and tonic, the Lionesses’ quirky secrets are revealed…
Goalkeeper Mary Earps 1
Mary Earps is the team’s impassioned off-field leader, renowned for her table-dancing and dubbed its ‘TikTok Queen’
Affectionately known as ‘Mearps’, Mary is the team’s impassioned off-field leader, renowned for her table-dancing and dubbed its ‘TikTok Queen’, sharing fun videos of kangaroos and coffee-making.
She is such a totemic Lioness that 50,000 have signed a petition demanding that Nike produce a replica shirt with her name on it for fans to buy.
Mary almost gave up football when four other keepers were picked ahead of her for the England squad in 2020. Hearing the news, she cried on her kitchen floor.
But the Nottingham-born Manchester United keeper, 30, who got a business degree from Loughborough University, recovered her form and was rescued by England manager Sarina Wiegman.
Her father works in the food industry with major dairies and her mum runs a small business. Her brother is a part-time footballer and full-time software developer while her sister works for a packaging firm.
Left back Alex Greenwood 5
Alex Greenwood has seen both sides of soccer stardom – as she’s a one-time WAG
Alex has seen both sides of soccer stardom – as she’s a one-time WAG. Watching today’s final from the stands will be her teenage years sweetheart Jack O’Connell, a former Premier League defender with Sheffield United who she met at sixth- form college in Bootle, Merseyside.
Jack retired this summer because of knee injuries and the couple, both 29, regularly post snaps on Instagram of five-star breaks in Dubai and Ibiza.
Alex is also the victim of much social media trolling amid questions over whether she has had cosmetic surgery. She refuses to comment either way but she does go out wearing a full face of make-up – and fake eyelashes.
Centre back Millie Bright 6
Captain Millie Bright says lifting the World Cup will be the ultimate birthday present when she turns 30 tomorrow
Captain Millie says lifting the World Cup will be the ultimate birthday present when she turns 30 tomorrow. The Chelsea player, who has shared social media snaps of the beautiful Surrey home she shares with performance coach Levi Crew, has seen her bank balance soar since winning the Euros last year, thanks to lucrative deals with brands such as Walkers crisps, Howdens Kitchens and exercise bike brand Peloton.
Right back Jess Carter 16
Jess Carter’s biggest battle has come off the field – supporting her girlfriend Ann-Katrin Berger through two bouts of thyroid cancer
Jess’s biggest battle has come off the field – supporting her girlfriend Ann-Katrin Berger through two bouts of thyroid cancer.
She met German national team goalkeeper Ann-Katrin at Birmingham City, where Jess made her debut at just 16.
They were friends initially and then flatmates before starting a romantic relationship. Now they are teammates at Chelsea.
Jess, 25, who has an American father and English mother, emerged as the star of One Team, One Dream, a TV documentary about Chelsea’s fortunes between 2019 and 2021. After being challenged by club staff about missing fitness targets, she told programme-makers: ‘When people are on my back because I’m not good enough, I get even more p***** off.’
Midfield Lucy Bronze 2
Lucy Bronze, 31, whose father is Portuguese, has 111 international caps… and a reputation for knowing how to enjoy herself
Barcelona player Lucy, 31, whose father is Portuguese, has 111 international caps… and a reputation for knowing how to enjoy herself.
When Barca won the Spanish league this summer, Lucy was seen dancing and singing on the victory tour and also admits that she’s partial to the odd gin and tonic or glass of Baileys.
On meeting big-name male players such as David Beckham and Steven Gerrard, she says she never gets starstruck because she thinks: ‘They’re another footballer like me; they just get paid a lot more.’
Midfield Georgia Stanway 8
Bayern Munich player Georgia Stanway, 24, is the world’s worst singer
Even her biggest fan will admit Bayern Munich player Georgia, 24, is the world’s worst singer.
Following last year’s Euros win, she clutched a bottle of beer while delivering a tone-deaf rendition of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline.
When she had another go at the song after Bayern won the German league a few months ago, she was so out of tune the clip went viral. Georgia has previously admitted thinking the Lionesses can be a ‘little bit too nice’ to the opposition and is known for her random collection of tattoos, including one depicting a fish in a bag which she confessed she had done for ‘no reason whatsoever’.
Midfield Rachel Daly 9
Rachel Day got the last laugh over her former girlfriend Kristie Mewis when England beat Australia in the World Cup semi-final
Rachel got the last laugh over her former girlfriend Kristie Mewis when England beat Australia in the World Cup semi-final.
Former University of New York player Rachel dated American international Kristie from 2017 to 2019, when they split up.
But Kristie was spotted in the stands at the England-Australia game to cheer on her new girlfriend – Aussie captain Sam Kerr.
Rachel, 31, has an array of tattoos – there are more than ten on her right arm – including an image of the ‘+44’ phone code (the international code for the UK) as a nod to her time spent living overseas.
Midfield Keira Walsh 4
Keira Walsh, 26, is a celebrated party girl, enjoying raves in Ibiza
Keira, 26, is a celebrated party girl, enjoying raves in Ibiza. She went on a booze-fuelled yachting trip during the summer with her best friend, injured England captain Leah Williamson, and the former Arsenal footballer turned BBC sports presenter Alex Scott.
Keira became the world’s most expensive female player last year when she followed her partner Lucy Bronze to Barcelona for a record £400,000 fee.
As a child she was such a dedicated Manchester City fan, she named pet fish after Shaun Goater and Nicolas Anelka.
Midfield Lauren James 7
Lauren James is close to her brother and they regularly exchange footballing congratulations on social media
The 21-year-old Chelsea starlet, whose older brother Reece also plays for Chelsea and England, is tipped to become one of the richest Lionesses.
She already has endorsement deals with Sure deodrant, Google Pixel and Barclays bank. Lauren is close to her brother and they regularly exchange footballing congratulations on social media. She also credits her father Nigel, a licensed UEFA coach, with boosting her career. She was controversially banned for just two games for stamping on Nigerian player Michelle Alozie, leaving her eligible to play in today’s final.
Midfield Ella Toone 10
Manchester United star Ella Toone wears false eyelashes during matches and also admits she gets her nails done before she pulls on her England shirt
Manchester United star Ella wears false eyelashes during matches and also admits she gets her nails done before she pulls on her England shirt. Ella, 23, has a formidable strike partnership with Alessia Russo, her best friend since they were 12 years old.
Known as a joker off the pitch, Ella might also be laughing all the way to the bank soon because she has applied to have her name trademarked for clothes, sportswear and jewellery.
Her biggest cheerleader is her 29-year-old boyfriend Joe Bunney, a non-league player with Stalybridge Celtic in Greater Manchester after previously turning out for Bolton, Northampton and Rochdale.
Forward Alessia Russo 23
Alessia Russo listens to Canadian rapper Drake, Nigerian singer Burna Boy and Rihanna to get her ‘amped up’ to play
Alessia listens to Canadian rapper Drake, Nigerian singer Burna Boy and Rihanna to get her ‘amped up’ to play, adding: ‘Music is a huge part of me as a person and a player.’ She recently moved from Manchester United to Arsenal and enjoys a close friendship with David Beckham after they were introduced by Adidas, which they represent as ambassadors.
Alessia, 24, whose father was the all-time record goalscorer for the Metropolitan Police team in London, first captured global attention last year when her spectacular back-heel goal through the Swedish goalkeeper’s legs propelled England into the Euros final.
Forward Chloe Kelly 18
Chloe Kelly has an underwear deal with Calvin Klein worth an estimated £300,000
After famously whipping off her shirt to show her Nike sports bra when she scored the winning goal in the Euros final, Chloe now has an underwear deal with Calvin Klein worth an estimated £300,000.
Queens Park Rangers fan Chloe, 25, began playing football on a five-a-side pitch near her West London home with her five brothers and joined the Arsenal Centre of Excellence as a teenager. A plaque honouring Chloe was put up at the cage last year.
The youngest of seven children, she is now a star at Manchester City and lives in a palatial home with her boyfriend of four years, Scott, and their dog Otis.
Forward Lauren Hemp 11
Lauren Hemp’s best-known supporter is TV chef Delia Smith, part-owner of Norwich City
Known to teammates and fans alike as ‘Hempo’, Lauren’s best-known supporter is TV chef Delia Smith, part-owner of Norwich City.
Lauren was a regular at the city’s stadium from childhood and Delia said: ‘That little girl, her father brought her to football at Norwich and she’s ended up being a star.’
Lauren, 23, moved on to Bristol City and then Manchester City. Her girlfriend is fellow footballer Ellie Butler, who plays for Coventry.
Four of the stars who reign in Spain
Midfielder Alexia Putellas 11
Nicknamed ‘La Reina’ – the queen – by her adoring fans, the Barcelona midfielder is often referred to in football culture by just her first name. Perhaps unsurprising, though, given she has three million Instagram followers, she is the subject of an Amazon film and boasts lucrative endorsement deals including Oakley sunglasses and Hublot watches. The openly gay 29-year-old is dating fellow Spaniard Olga Rios.
Nicknamed ‘La Reina’ – the queen – by her adoring fans, the Barcelona midfielder is often referred to in football culture by just her first name, Alexia
Forward Salma Paralluelo 18
Regarded as Spain’s next big thing, the 19-year-old winger used to be European junior champion at the 400m hurdles. England defender Lucy Bronze, her teammate at Barcelona, will know how highly treasured her skills are by Spanish fans, who have often hugged her foot in respect.
Midfielder Aitana Bonmati 6
The 25-year-old Barcelona midfielder is considered something of a feminist icon, starting when her parents defied Spanish tradition by using her mother’s surname before her father’s. She said: ‘I’m very proud of what they did. This willingness to fight for women’s rights, I feel I have it in my blood.’
Forward Jennifer Hermoso 10
Her grandfather, a former goalkeeper for Spanish team Atletico Madrid, encouraged the 33-year-old into the game and took her to her first match aged just six. A former girlfriend of Alexia Putellas, she is recognisable for the plethora of tattoos on her arms, saying: ‘I’ve got almost the whole of my left arm taken up with my family. It’s a way of wearing them. I’ve got them in my heart and having them on my skin is another way of keeping them close.’
Pride rides on ‘school mistress’ Sarina
Sarina Wiegman has ‘something of the school mistress’ about her, colleagues claim, but friends say the England manager is a bundle of fun
It may have been published in jest recently, but the book explaining how to ‘Be More Sarina’ – efficient and intellectual – is one England football teams might have found useful in the 57 years since they won the World Cup.
The 53-year-old has ‘something of the school mistress’ about her, colleagues claim, but friends say the England manager is a bundle of fun. Ms Wiegman, left, chopped her hair short at the age of seven to play alongside her twin brother and made her professional debut at 16, earning 99 international caps for the Netherlands. She took her native country to European glory in 2017 and placed second on the world stage two years later.
She became the Lionesses’ manager in 2021 and has since taken the team to new heights, famously winning the Euros in front of a packed Wembley crowd last summer.
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