Playing for Manchester United and England invites pressure; lots and lots of pressure.
For Ella Toone, embracing that pressure has been key to her success, with the 24-year-old having made a half-century of appearances for her country as well as scoring vital goals at key times on both the international stage as well as for Manchester United.
Sitting down to speak to FourFourTwo, Ella Toone goes through the four games in her career that she feels have changed her life. No prizes for guessing one of them...
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Manchester United and England's Ella Toone: Games that changed my life
1. England 6-0 Northern Ireland (Friendly, 2021)
“Playing for your country is the most unbelievable rush," Toone says. "I made my debut in lockdown, so no one was actually there watching, but it was on the telly.
"I came on for Jordan Nobbs at half-time and then scored a penalty. It was one of the greatest feelings of my life. Transforming from that young girl who fell in love with football, dreaming of playing for England someday, to finally achieving it was special.
"My phone was blowing up on the drive home. I had so many messages from family, friends and coaches – people who knew what it meant for me to earn my first cap. That’s an emotion that sticks with me. Every time I get to pull on an England shirt is amazing, but that day made me hungrier than ever to keep working hard in order to experience it again.”
2. England 2-1 Germany (Euro 2022 Final)
"At Wembley, the home of football, in front of all of our fans, my family and best mates – just incredible," Toone reminisces. "To come on and score was insane. I remember it in slow motion: Keira Walsh’s pass, my touch and then lifting the ball over the goalkeeper.
"Merle Frohms was running out and I knew the only way to score was to go over her. It seemed like a lifetime before it hit the back of the net. I ran straight to the bench to celebrate with everyone. It was a mad feeling. I still get goosebumps thinking back to the final whistle going and that huge release.
"When you’re a little kid with big dreams and those dreams later come true, it’s a proud moment for myself and everybody close to me. That’s probably the one match, over any other, that never leaves my mind.”
3. Australia 1-3 England (2023 World Cup semi-final)
“It was awesome to play in a World Cup semi-final against the host nation," Toone explains. "We went into the match prepared for a hostile atmosphere, as we knew the fans wouldn’t be on our side this time.
"After the game, though, the sense of dejection and silence among the home stands was immense. We had a small section where our nearest and dearest were sat, yet there were hardly any of them and everybody else was backing the Aussies. When I scored the opener they went quiet for a bit, but it was an up and down affair.
"To get over the line and find ourselves in a World Cup final is everyone’s dream. Sadly it ended in heartbreak against Spain, but I learned so much and was impressed that we could go into stadiums where the fans were against us and still perform well.”
4. Man United 4-0 Spurs (2024 FA Cup Final)
“Having been at Manchester United since 2018, I can tell you that all we ever want is to win silverware," Toone says." To lose the previous season’s FA Cup final against Chelsea gave us that extra bit of hunger this year. We used the pain of that defeat to bounce back.
"United are my childhood club, one that I’ve grown up supporting. They made me fall in love with football. So, to go from watching the team at Old Trafford to representing them at Wembley in front of 75,000 fans and scoring – a decent goal, too – was nice.
"The timing was perfect as well, just before the break, and we knew the next goal would be key if we were to push on and lift the cup. Thankfully, Rachel Williams got
it for us. It was such an unforgettable afternoon and I’m still buzzing over it.”
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