Hannah Hampton Pays Moving Tribute To Her Grandpa Whom She ‘Carried Through Every Minute'

Elle

5 days ago

As soon as the whistle went on extra time during the final of the Women's Euros 2025, goalkeeper Hannah Hampton went straight to the Lioness dugout to talk through the impending penalty shootout. While the rest of her team huddled, Hampton stood apart, taking instruction from the coaches and, with laser sharp focus, studying the penalty cheat sheet strapped to her arm.
The rest is football history, with England's Lionesses beating reigning world champions Spain to retain their European title. Serena Wiegman's number one goalkeeper Hannah Hampton played a key part in their victory, saving two vital penalties, not to mention putting in an exceptional performance in the two-hour long game beforehand which finished 1-1.
Shortly after the final, Hampton made a touching tribute to her grandpa who passed away just before the Euros started, missing her first ever major international tournament.
'You were one of my biggest supporters. You believed in me before I even knew what this journey would look like. You were always there – watching, encouraging, teaching. You taught me so much, not just about football but about life. About staying grounded, working hard, being resilient and doing things the right way,' she wrote on a social media post.
After a record-making performance like Hampton's we could all learn something from her about how to keep our cool and be resilient. So how did she do it? Here's everything we know about how Hannah Hampton prepares to win:-
Earlier this year Hannah Hampton, who won the WSL with Chelsea, told ELLE UK: 'I'm normally quite steady, but there have been moments this season where I had much more anxiety than I've ever experienced.'
One way she assuages her nerves is by texting friends or asking Millie Bright (Chelsea Women's captain) to take her mind off the situation by telling her a funny story or getting her to dance. 'It shifts the focus to going out onto the pitch to enjoy playing like you did as a little girl.'
As goalkeeper, travelling fans (who sit behind the goal) spend a lot of time staring at the back of Hannah Hampton's head. They also have a lot of opinions about how she does her hair, which is one of the things Hampton does take time over ahead of a game. 'I like it one way but the fans tell me to do it another way,' she told ELLE UK. 'At the beginning of the [WSL] season I had all my extensions in and to hide it I had to do it in a certain way so you couldn't really tell. And then when I got them taken out I changed my hairstyle to how I'd probably be a bit more comfortable with and the amount of fans who were like 'Bring back the old look'. I was like 'Sorry guys' so I started bringing it back.'
Hannah Hampton gets her nails done every two weeks. Goalie gloves? Who cares. She's not a fan of broken or uneven nails so makes sure she gives her hands plenty of attention. 'As a keeper you have all the questions about how on earth you manage to keep your nails long but you know…we try our best,' she joked with ELLE UK in May.
'Loads of people have so many superstitions and you can see it, it's crazy,' she's said. Not her though. 'I'm more like 'whack your kit on and off you go'. I like taking as little time as I possibly can.'
What does Hampton shout at her players when she's in goal? 'I don't want to make the saves so please can we tidy up a bit.' Or 'Stay a bit tighter and compact because I definitely do not want to be doing anything on the pitch'. For Hampton she'd prefer not to be making the high-diving saves: 'A lot of keepers probably want the glory or the camera shots, I'm the complete opposite. Just let me do absolutely nothing.'
The one thing that keeps Hampton grounded when she's on the road with her team? 'I always have a hoody that I take with me that's one of my friends, so I take their hoody to every camp, and I always message them before going 'Can I take your hoody again?' And they're like, 'Yeah, of course'. But I think that's because it reminds me of my friends, having them with me when they can't be there…it's special.'
Growing up in Spain Hampton took quickly to learning other languages and still does – before the Euros she was learning Italian with her teacher Paolo. She speaks two or three but would get by in more languages conversationally. 'I took every single player in the [Chelsea] team and got to know 'Hello, how are you?' – basic responses and basic conversation so every morning I can greet them in their language.'
But the best thing about learning other languages? Being able to swear and not necessarily get caught. 'That's the best, I'm not going to lie. When cameras are recording or Sonia [Bompastor, Chelsea Women's manager]'s standing around and she's like 'Don't lose it, don't lose it' you can swear in Spanish and she doesn't have a clue what you're on about. Although Sonia does know Spanish so I can't really get away with that one…[it would] probably [have to be] German.'
Hampton has joked that she can feel left out when she sees her teammates down the other end of the pitch celebrating a goal, but says timing is everything when it comes to celebrations: 'You don't want to go to early because the fans will give it straight back if you go and concede...you've got to pick your moments for sure but you never know, hopefully I can score the last-minute winner. I'll go celebrate on my own!'
It wasn't quite how things played out at the Euro 2025 Final, but it also wasn't that far off!
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