Chloe Kelly has already secured her place in English football history after coming off the bench in last summer’s Euro 2022 Final to stab home the winner in extra-time as Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses beat Germany 2-1, tearing off her shirt and whirling it maniacally in the air in one of the most instantly-iconic celebrations Wembley has ever seen.
Kelly had almost missed the tournament with a knee injury but returned to triumph, her moment of euphoria as joyous and empowering a moment as any sport anywhere has ever produced.
Since then, she was England’s top scorer in February’s Arnold Clark Cup and scored the winning penalty against Brazil to win the Finalissima, proving once again that she is a big game player of the very highest calibre.
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Still only 25, the Londoner grew up in Hanwell, just a bus ride away from the national stadium, the youngest of seven siblings who credits her career to playing street football with her five brothers from a young age.
Starting out at Queens Park Rangers, she was soon spotted by Arsenal and progressed through the Gunners’ youth ranks to make her senior debut against Watford at 17, scoring just 22 minutes into that match.
In 2016, she was loaned out to Everton, who later made the signing permanent.
She would score 16 times for the Toffees in 45 appearances before moving to Manchester City in 2020, where she has since netted another 16 in 48.
At international level, she has worked her way up from under-17s to the senior squad, making her Lionesses debut versus Austria in November 2018 in a 3-0 win.
With Beth Mead ruled out, Kelly will be competing with the likes of Lauren James for a starting place on the right-wing for England in Australia and New Zealand this month, where her directness again promises to terrify opposition defences.
