A title-winning season in Bayern Munich’s midfield has done wonders for Georgia Stanway’s game but, perhaps more importantly, it seems to have changed her life in all the right ways. “As a person, I’m just so much more open,” says one of the shining lights of England’s Euro 2022 triumph.
“I went to a country where no one knew me and I could be whoever I wanted to be. No one was going to judge me. I’ve developed so much. I was never the most sociable person but in a new environment I’ve wanted to go out for tea every night. In Germany, I’ve wanted to see people.”
Stanway is in a quiet corner of St George’s Park, where England held an initial camp before flying to Australia for the World Cup, and when someone expresses puzzlement about the idea of drinking tea every evening she laughs. “It’s the northern term for dinner,” she says in her distinctive Cumbrian accent.
During her Manchester City days, Stanway frequently headed up the M6 to spend off-field time with family and friends in Barrow, but she deliberately landed in Bavaria alone. “We won Euro 2022 on the Sunday, then I arrived in Munich four days later with four suitcases,” she says.
“I moved into an apartment that didn’t have a kitchen for the first month and it was all just a little bit messy. But that was the making of me because it meant I had to socialise. Trying to find a shop that sold kitchens was a nightmare so I had to ask people to come with me to buy one.”
Requesting assistance was something the previously self-contained Stanway had never been particularly good at, but she recognised the need to change. “What lured me towards Bayern was that it was a fresh start,” says the 24-year-old. “So when my agent and other people in my support network were saying, ‘We’ll fly out with you’, I said: ‘No, I want to do it by myself.’”
The lack of familiar back-up meant that on day one at Bayern’s training centre Stanway was forced to seek a lift home from teammates. “I had to ask the others questions, so you come out of your shell a bit and you’re able to be more confident,” she says.
After growing up with the Lake District on her doorstep, Stanway appreciates Munich’s proximity to the Alps and has chosen an apartment in a leafy quarter. “I went for greenery rather than the city centre, which means I’m not in a block with other footballers,” she says. “But I like being on my own, in my own place. Munich’s a really nice city. It’s a lot colder than Manchester in the winter but I love it.
“On the pitch, I’ve got so much responsibility. I have a leadership role, which I never expected. I’ve been consistent in my performances. I’ve got more control over my technical actions and my passing range is massively improved. I’ve developed more of a second No 6 role, similar to in the Euros where I could join attacks but then, when we were defending, I was expected to drop back.”
Just about the only thing Stanway has not displayed an aptitude for is the German language, but her teammates speak excellent English. “I saw a quote which says, ‘Life’s too short to learn German’, and I completely agree. I have two lessons a week and my teacher keeps saying: ‘It’s going to click.’ But nearly 12 months in, there’s no click.”
Coincidentally, her friend Keira Walsh, a former City teammate and her central midfield sidekick for England, has found learning Spanish the toughest thing about an otherwise highly successful move to Barcelona. Stanway was supposed to celebrate New Year with Walsh in Catalonia. “I didn’t make it out there because I was just that tired,” she says. “I was absolutely shattered.”
The fortnight she spent with family during Germany’s winter break proved extremely quiet. “I’d had three days at home after the Euros before joining Bayern and didn’t have another rest until Christmas. Everything was just so exciting but then I had a dip. It wasn’t necessarily an emotional one, more the kind where I could have stayed on the sofa for two weeks.
“I was sleeping long past my alarm, until mid-afternoon, which is something I’ve never done before. It’s important people recognise how hard we work. There’s an expectation you should be at the top of your game all the time but that’s not realistic. It’s the close season, we’ve had two weeks off and we’re back here with England again. People are going to get tired so days off are so important.”
The good news for England is that despite the lack of rest Stanway and Walsh appear in peak form. “We just complement each other very well,” says Stanway. “Keira’s position dictates the one I take up. She understands I like to do a bit of the dirty work and get a tackle in and I know she likes to play the million-dollar pass. I give Keira the ball and let her work her magic.”
