‘She flattened me': how Michelle Agyemang said hello to England captain

Times

7 days ago

Less than four years ago, Michelle Agyemang was a ball girl at Wembley. In 2023, she was studying for her A-levels while on Champions League trips. As recently as last April, she had never played for England.
Yet right now, the Arsenal striker, 19, is essential to her nation's Euro 2025 hopes. Against Sweden in Thursday's quarter-final, she came off the bench to help England recover from 2-0 down, with her powerful presence unsettling physical defenders, and her cool finish delivering the late equaliser.
Despite having only three England caps and no starts, the teenager habitually transforms internationals. In the Euros opener against France, her introduction changed the game and nearly led to England snatching an undeserved draw.
And 41 seconds into her international debut, away to Belgium last April, Agyemang mitigated a poor England performance by scoring a screamer with her first touch.
Rather than cower under pressure, she relishes it. 'After the [Sweden] game, I just said, 'Mich, you are clutch,' ' Esme Morgan, the England centre back, says.
Essex-born Agyemang has always been a prodigy. She joined Arsenal aged six, made her senior debut aged 16 in November 2022, and signed her maiden professional contract in May 2024. Leah Williamson, the Arsenal centre back and England captain, can vividly remember her introduction to Agyemang in training.
'She flattened me,' Williamson recalled last month. 'I was too slow and I think I gave her a bit of stick about it, but in my head I thought, 'You need to move the ball quicker, because she's got something about her.'
'My first impression was that she let me know she was there, which I love. As a young player coming through, you can do all the fancy flicks and tricks you want, but somebody needs to know about you, and you need to tell people you're there, and that's what she does.'
Agyemang's long-term connection to Arsenal has not stopped her from evolving elsewhere. She spent time in the 2023-24 season at Watford, where she scored five goals in ten games.
'As soon as I saw her name, I thought, 'This is going to be brilliant for us,' Helen Ward, Watford's head of women's football, says. 'She just hit the ground running. She looked super-powerful and an intelligent footballer.'
Those close to Agyemang also praise her willingness to learn and to ask questions about her development. 'Even at 17, she very much had her feet on the ground,' Ward says. 'She really seemed mature in the way she handled herself. I think that is unusual in a teenager. They often just go along with things and take learning opportunities for granted.'
Agyemang then spent last season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, repeatedly troubling defences in her first full Women's Super League campaign. All the while, the clamour for an international debut grew — from both England and Ghana fans. Agyemang is of Ghanaian descent and has said she is a 'proud Ghanaian', but instead elected to represent the country where she was born and raised.
Agyemang thrived at youth international level, scoring 24 goals in 26 games for England at under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-23 levels. She was also a ball girl for Sarina Wiegman's first Wembley game as England head coach, against Northern Ireland in October 2021.
She eventually earned her first call-up as an injury replacement last April. Two days later, she scored in Belgium by controlling a long pass on her thigh and volleying home. Agyemang did not win another cap before the Euros, but relentlessness in training ensured she would be selected as the squad's youngest player.
'She's one of my favourites to play against because I can run into her dead hard,' Lucy Bronze, England's 33-year-old right back, says light-heartedly. 'She likes to give it back. She's been told [by Wiegman] that she needs to go a little bit easier, but I said, 'No, just keep it up, Micha, I prefer it, it makes it harder for us.''
She is similarly popular away from the pitch. 'I love Mich,' Morgan, 24, says. 'She is such a wonderful human being. She's so intelligent, really soft-spoken and quite shy until you get to know her. But she's hilarious when she comes out of her shell.'
Agyemang's family are vital to her success. They are said to emphasise her progress as a person as well as a player, leading to her studying diligently while part of Arsenal's run to the 2022-23 Champions League semi-finals. She is now a business management student at King's College London.
Her dad, brother and uncle are among those in Switzerland for the Euros, where Agyemang's older team-mates are depending on her. 'We know we can turn to her in stressful moments to be a presence, holding the ball up, linking play and making runs in behind,' Morgan says. 'She's a really hard worker and has an incredible sense for the positioning in the box.'
Agyemang's future is a little complicated. She is ready for the top level, but may struggle to get minutes ahead of Alessia Russo for both Arsenal and England. While she considers Russo a valuable mentor, she is also eager to stand out.
'I want to be a unique player,' Agyemang says. 'There are obviously things I'll take from other people, but I want to bring my own type of input to the game.'
However, playing time appears the only minor worry. She possesses all the attributes of a potent forward, has a popular personality and should keep a level head as the Euros changes her life.
'She has got the world at her feet, but I don't envisage her changing as a person,' Ward says. 'She doesn't seem the type to be seeking fame. She'll just take it all in her stride.'
England v Italy
Euro 2025, semi-final
Tuesday, 8pm
Live on ITV