Hannah Hampton bounced back from the adversity of an eye condition which threatened her football hopes as a child and being dropped by club and country over attitude issues earlier in her career to become England’s hero, and potentially star performer, in her debut tournament at Euro 2025
Digital Football Journalist@Ronnabe
In March 2021, Hannah Hampton sat deflated on the Birmingham City pitch, unable to hold back the tears after missing out on selection for the Team GB squad for that summer’s Olympic Games.
Hampton had received the news an hour ahead of a 4-0 defeat to Everton and struggled throughout the 90 minutes as a goalkeeper barely out of her teens, who had become accustomed to overachieving for her age, was brought down to earth with a bang.
Those tears were back a little over four years later in Basel on Sunday night as the sheer joy of England’s historic Euro 2025 triumph was uncaged following six gruelling, not always enjoyable but unfalteringly resilient performances.
The magnitude of the 24-year-old’s personal growth since that miserable night in the West Midlands will take some time longer to sink in.
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Hampton, of course, played every minute of the Lionesses’ journey in Switzerland this summer, saving two penalties in the quarter-final win over Sweden before doing the same against Spain and earning herself player of the match trophies in both.
Michelle Agyemang took home the Best Young Player of the Tournament but Hampton has emerged as England’s breakout star, the latest triumph against adversity which has dogged her in more ways than one.
The eye condition which affects Hampton’s depth perception and threatened her footballing hopes from a young age has been well-covered. But the self-inflicted exile from both England and club duty months after the last Euros has been forgotten, deservedly, through her actions since.
Source: Skysports
