Hannah Hampton has vowed to try to live up to Mary Earps’s legacy after being confirmed as England’s first-choice goalkeeper for Women’s Euro 2025.
AfterEarps’s shock retirementfrom international football last month, the England head coach, Sarina Wiegman, confirmed that her first choice was Hampton, who had started the Lionesses’ three previous games and has been selected five times in a row in the buildup to July’s tournament in Switzerland.
The Chelsea goalkeeper was asked at England’s pre-Euros media day at St George’s Park whether she was surprised by Earps’s announcement and whether they had spoken. “First of all we have to respect what her decision is,” Hampton said. “I think there’s been quite a bit of scrutiny that she probably doesn’t deserve with everything that she’s achieved in the game and obviously put women’s goalkeeping on the map for the younger generation. It was never really a thing, and Mary’s changed that.
“I think l’ve done everything I need to do: I’ve sent her a text and I congratulated her on a very successful international career and I think that’s all I really can do. I don’t think there’s anything else and I’m not expecting anything back. She’s been an unbelievable player. We’re gonna miss her as a person here. She’s a big personality in this team and she glued us all together at times when we needed to.
“It’s been difficult for everyone to come to terms with what her decision is, but we have to respect that. Now l have got to just go and live up to her legacy. But I’ll give it my best shot.”
These Euros will be the first time the 24-year-old has been thrust so heavily into the spotlight, although she was part of the Lionesses squads for Euro 2022 and the 2023 World Cup. She has 15 caps and seven clean sheets, having made her debut in 2022. Asked how it felt to be the first-choice No 1, Hampton said: “Just getting that bit of clarity already helps you prepare for whatever your role is. My role is different this time around compared to the last tournaments but it’s not going to change my mindset. I’m there to enjoy myself, do the nation proud with all the girls and get memories.”
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As a young child Hampton was diagnosed with an eye condition that affected her depth perception but, after surgeries, she remained determined to pursue a career as a goalkeeper. “I’ve always gone through life trying to prove people wrong,” she said. “I was told from a young age that I couldn’t play football, that it wouldn’t be a profession I could pursue – the doctors told my parents that. I’m here right now.”