Mead eyes Euros repeat for England after emotional rollercoaster
Mead became a household name after her six goals on home soil led the Lionesses to England's sole major tournament victory in the men's or women's game since 1966.
But even that moment of elation was tinged with the emotion of her mother's battle with cancer.
June Mead's diagnosis with ovarian cancer a year before the Euros provided her daughter with a "motivation I never knew that I had", the Arsenal forward later revealed.
"People on the outside just saw me breaking all these records, winning all these awards," Mead told the Players' Tribune.
"Mum was on such a high watching me that season. I think for all of us, football was our anchor. It was the one thing that was distracting us, and giving us so much joy.
"We rode that wave into the Euros - that whole July just absolutely flying, into the final, into lifting the trophy."
Mead was still coming to terms with her newfound fame when she was shaken by the news her mother's cancer had spread.
A few months later Mead suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury an all too common occurence in the women's game that would cost her a place in England's run to a first ever World Cup final in 2023.
What appeared her lowest moment, Mead now reflects on as a blessing.
Her injury allowed the 30-year-old to move back home to the coastal town of Whitby in England's north-east to spend time with her mum in the final weeks before she died in January 2023.
It took another nine months for Mead to return to action on the field and much longer to find the form that guaranteed her a place back in the Arsenal and England side.
But the seeds of a return to brighter days were sown in those difficult times.
Mead recalls seeing up to 30 Arsenal players and staff at her mum's funeral having got up at 4.30am to make the five-hour drive from London.
"They rallied around me and we found that strength together," she added. "We held onto each other. Held so many different emotions for each other. And that's what a family does."
The spirit of Arsenal's band of sisters had its reward last month when they stunned the all-conquering Barcelona to win the Champions League in Lisbon.
Mead was central to that success. It was her moment of magic that split the Barca defence to tee up Stina Blackstenius for the only goal.
Mead has also re-established herself as a key part of the England side aiming to retain their title at the Euros in Switzerland.
Mead has scored three times in her last four caps.
"When you win things, you're more hungry to do it again, she said.
"I would wish more than anything for myself and for the team to be able to play like I did the last Euros. I'll do my very best to be able to get that level again."
England's defence begins with a tough opener against France on Saturday before Mead will face off against her partner, Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema in their second match in Group D.
Mead described that draw as "inevitable" but is focused on firing England to glory once again.
"Obviously we want each other to do well but not against each other!"
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This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
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And I feel that that's why they've got such a big name in the whole of the world because they do it on the big stage. And that's the kind of lad that I want to be. I've got the mind frame. I've got the ability. I have to make sure that i keep the trust of the staff and gain even more. I'm always there. I show every day. You can ask any of the lads, i show every day. I work hard. I'm always one of the first in the gym, and I'm always one of the last out. But i definitely think it's harder when you're coming through as an academy lad, 100%. QUESTION: But you've made huge strides. I mean, from scoring in the derby, to captaining the team that night to being part of that squad who won the premier league as we were talking about before. When Jurgen Klopp made that announcement, wherever you were at the time, was that a shock at the time that you were on this upward trajectory and then the manager's now said this? CURTIS JONES: Yeah, emotions were actually mixed. I feel that the season when he left, i feel at the back end of the one before he left was when I'd first gained his full trust where he was using me game after game. And the talks that I had with him and all things like that, i feel that for this whole time I've been just chipping away and chipping away and now I've now finally gained his trust to where I knew I was going to be a huge part of his team, which i was anyway. But i played an even bigger role. But yet I feel that there comes a time in a life where family and, your kids and for Jurgen and his staff, of course, they've got their grandkids as well, that there's s more to life. I'm sat here now as a dad as well, myself. My mind frame has always just been football, football, football, football, football. And at times, there's a lot of stress and weight on you. So for Jurgen, who's obviously been in the game for so many years, one of course he's played in and two, he's been at Dortmund and the stuff he did there and then he came in here when the team wasn't as great and he changed the whole thing, he flipped it over. And then he leaves here as the man that he is now. And how much that he's loved of us, as you know, the players. And then from the fans as well. And the city of how he's seen. He's seen like a dad. But i feel that he had achieved everything that he wanted to. You know, he came in here and his first thing was, 'i want to build a team that is ready to go and compete every single week', and that's what he's done. And then he made the team that's, 'okay, we compete every week, but now we have to go and win.' and that's what we started to go and do. And then the man that he was, he had a handful of lads and I was one of them, that he wants to see me come into his team and go and do well. So he came in, he changed the team. He started to win. He then achieved things and then he helped the youth as well. You know, you can't ask for any more. QUESTION: So you said to me before, when Arne Slot was appointed, you were given six weeks off, but you wanted to come back after four. Is that the self-belief again? That there was a new chapter and you wanted to be even more part of this chapter? CURTIS JONES: Yeah, I just felt everybody had a fresh slate. There's not going to be any favourites or anything like that because he has to go off of what he sees. I just thought that the sooner I'm back then the more time that I get to spend with him and the more time he gets to see me. This year I've played as a striker and as a number 10 and number 8 and number 6. I played as a fullback, I played off the left and although I want to play as a 10 or an 8, I want to stamp my mark there and stay there. I feel that it's also good that it shows how much that he trusts me, and how good that he knows that I am, that no matter where he plays me, I can go and do a job. QUESTION: What would you say the main differences are between the two then? Having gone from one and just had one full season with the new manager? CURTIS JONES: I mean, the principles of how he wants us to go and press and how much that we have to go and run and how much that he wants to win is exactly the same. I just feel that we just want the ball a little bit more. We take more of a risk. QUESTION: Does that suit you more personally, do you think? CURTIS JONES: Yeah, I think so. Because obviously I'm a lad who always wants to take a risk, i just feel that how he wants to go and play is more like, we dominate teams more when we have the ball. It's not every single time that we've got the ball that we have to go and attack and that's where it benefits me that I'm comfortable on the ball enough to know where the team will come and press. We'll keep holding the ball and I'll twist, I'll turn and I'll slow it down and then we'll keep the ball. And that then shows the opposition, okay we can't just go and press him. QUESTION: I mean, we did the show from Ipswich on the first day and the manager said the first half was, you know, getting used to it. But then the second half was like flicking a switch in the very first game. I know you'd had a pre-season and training sessions, but for that change that you're talking about, they all took it on board so quickly.. CURTIS JONES: again, I just feel that the players that were already there, I feel that was more of their style of play anyway. QUESTION: Is that clever management then do you think, Curtis? CURTIS JONES: Clever management, I think. But at the same time, and i say it all the time, is if you're a footballer, you can play anywhere and you can adapt any single time. Well, if he wants to flip a switch and he now wants to go and play like this, you have to be able to adapt and then that's how you last. And again, it goes back to that's how you gain the trust and all things like that, is a manager wants to see a lad who understands the game. It's okay if you play a game and you play a style of play. But when things are hard, who now understands the game and who can adjust and who, when I go and tell him, 'okay, I need you to now play a different role,' that he can be like, 'yeah, fine.' and he can just change. And now he can go and play that role. So yeah, I think that the management has been good but at the same time, I feel that the team that was already there, with younger lads and of course we've got the experienced lads as well around us who have been there already and who have played hundreds of games that obviously help as well. So yeah, I feel that the team now that is being built at the balance is great. QUESTION: What about for you personally as well as a group. How durable everybody's been with his in-game changes, with his week-to-week changes? When you look at the other teams and perhaps some of the injuries that have been suffered, Liverpool and yourself, haven't had any of that? CURTIS JONES: That's because we've got a team who look after ourselves. Because you've got to, if you want to win, if you want to play every single week. If you want to be the best you can be every single week, you've got to look after yourself. You've got to do extras on the outside. You've got to employ your own guys around you that's going to keep you fit. Of course, there's times when the days are long and it's hard and you just want to come in and go home, but the ice baths and the recovery and all this stuff, it's important. QUESTION: How excited are you personally to go and build on the foundation of this season? And how excited should Liverpool fans listen to you talk like that be about the immediate future as well. CURTIS JONES: I mean, I could sit here for hours and hours and speak about everything, but it's all about the action. I feel there are loads out there who do all this talking about how they've got the best team and the best team should always win, but the team who plays the best isn't always the team that always wins. Or the team that has the best lads in their team, isn't the team that always goes and wins. It's about the team who want it the most and we've got a young team who technically are great, they've got a great mind on them, but at the same time we want to really win and we know how to win. I feel now that we've just got a team full of winners and young, energetic lads who just want to just go and play, if you're starting or not, we are in this as a team because if you play or not, at the end of the year, it's all about how much you've won. And that's why I'm sat here now with a smile on my face and can and can speak about all the positives. But this has been a year where there's been games that I should have played, but I haven't. But I trust that that's the right choice for the team. And I don't want to argue, and I don't want to be a lad to upset the lads in the changing rooms. It's been exactly the same with the likes of Dom (Szoboszlai), where there's been times when he thought that he should have played, but I've played or Macca hasn't played at times, or Cody at times. But it's not about: 'I'm upset and I'm going to be a bad egg around the place'. It's about: 'I'm going to go and train hard and for when the team needs me that I'm there'. That's the foundation and the team that we've built. We're sat here now with a premier league in our first year. I feel that it's exciting times. There's going to be lads that are going to go on their own journeys and leave as everybody knows. But then at the same time, we're going to go and buy lads in and those lads will understand that you come in here to play a huge role and to help us go to the next step and hopefully lads who are coming in can see our team are excited by what we have and what we show. Watch the interview, streaming live on JioHotstar, August 8th at 8 PM. Catch all the action from the Premier League 2025-26 season, August 16 onwards, LIVE & Exclusive on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar
