Having made waves from a young age, Georgia Stanway is reaching the peak of her footballing powers. She has started England Women’s trio of European Championship wins so far, including scoring the opener in their record-breaking 8-0 Norway demolition, and will have a key part to play in any success later in the tournament.
Following a prosperous stint at Manchester City, where she became the club's all-time top scorer, the attacking midfielder, regarded as one of the best in her position of her generation, has made the bold move to German giants Bayern Munich this summer. She will meet up with her new teammates and surroundings following the conclusion of the Euro 2022 tournament.
Her rise to the top of the women’s game has been impressive, already establishing herself as a core cog of the Lionesses’ side at the age of 23. Her longevity at the top of the game is remarkable and, with many more fruitful years likely to come, Stanway has all the capabilities to establish herself as a true England great.
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Georgia Stanway’s journey into football
Georgia Stanway was born in Barrow in January 1999. Stanway idolised Alan Shearer as a youngster, and has been a fan of Newcastle United her whole life.
Early in her career, she signed for the same club Shearer won the Premier League with - Blackburn Rovers - and progressed through the youth ranks at Rovers Centre of Excellence. Her ascent was swift and she broke into the senior squad during the 2014/15 season.
Georgia Stanway’s Manchester City record-breaking career
After spending four years with Blackburn, Stanway switched to the north-west in 2015 after signing for Manchester City. The then-16-year-old opened her City account away to Everton in the Continental Cup, going on to help the club to a maiden Champions League Qualification.
Her debut campaign ended by receiving the club’s Rising Star award. The following season, she played a key role in the double-winning triumph having scored six goals in 11 games, including a hat-trick against Sunderland and a stunning Nissan Goal of the Season winner against Liverpool, which beat contenders from Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne.
In January 2017, she signed her first professional contract with the club, and helped Nick Cushing’s side to a first FA Cup success the following May. The following year saw her add 11 further goals in 28 games, and subsequently earned a place in UEFA’s Women’s Champions League Team of the Year.
Individual honours continued to be received, including the PFA Young Player of the Year accolade in 2019. That came after she scored against West Ham in the FA Cup final and converted the opening penalty in the Conti Cup shoot-out win against Arsenal.
She continued to be a player for the big occasion, scoring again in the 2020 FA Cup final, this time in extra-time to edge out Everton. Earlier this year, a hat-trick against Nottingham Forest saw her leapfrog Nikita Parris as Manchester City’s all-time top goalscorer, increasing her tally to 64 goals in 170 appearances.
This is even more impressive given how she’s featured in a variety of attacking roles as a midfielder and forward. After her City contract expired this summer, with her final game being an FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea, Stanway agreed a three-year deal with Bundesliga runners-up Bayern Munich.
Georgia Stanway's star role with the England Lionesses
While her City exploits were thriving, Georgia Stanway was also impressing on the international stage, representing England at youth level from the U15s to the U20s. Stanway captained the U19s to a third-place finish at the Euros before scoring six goals in the U20 2018 World Cup campaign in France, where England also came third.
She made her senior debut against Austria in November 2018 and duly earned her spot in the 2019 World Cup squad, becoming the youngest outfield player to be featured. Heading into this current tournament, she accumulated 37 senior caps for the Lionesses, scoring 10 goals along the way.
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