Ask quietly who in the England squad is irreplaceable and the likely answer you will get is Keira Walsh. Sarina Wiegman's A defensive midfielder is the increasingly not-so-secret jewel in England's crown. It was Walsh's pass that elicited more oohs and aahs than Ella Toone's sumptuous finish to open the scoring in the final of the Euros against Germany last year and Walsh's £400,000 move to Barcelona from Manchester City broke the world record for a transfer fee.
Since that move Walsh has won a treble - La Liga, the Supercopa and the Champions League - and lifted the first women's Finalissima trophy with England. Yet four years ago she almost walked away from football, the heavy toll of the criticism she faced during the 2019 World Cup almost too much to take. Walsh had looked out of sorts in France, like the youngest of rabbits, frozen in the road, caught in the headlights of the first car they have seen.
For those who had watched her across several seasons for Manchester City, there was no doubting she belonged in the England team, but those new to the game, in the stands and the press boxes, questioned Walsh's ability. Now, she is thriving and going into another World Cup laden with medals and praise that show it.
How will she stop the experience of the 2019 World Cup from infiltrating her experience? "Well, I don't do social media so much any more," Walsh says matter-of-factly. "That's a massive one for me. As much as you say you're not going to look, you look. And I think when you're in that headspace, whether it's good or bad you only click on to the bad comments.
This story is from the July 17, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the July 17, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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