Chloe Kelly: England's confident, calm hero who ‘thrives' in pressure moments

New York Times

23-07-2025

All of England's usual penalty-takers were off the pitch. So when they were awarded a penalty in the 119th minute of their semi-final against Italy, Alex Greenwood went over to Sarina Wiegman and her assistant Arjan Veurink to ask who should take it.
'It's up to you: you or Chloe (Kelly),' said the coaches. Greenwood looked her team-mate in the eye and said, 'What do you think?'
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Kelly replied, 'I'm confident'. Greenwood, who missed her penalty against Sweden in the shootout, did not need to ask again.
Kelly took her usual hop, skip and kick run up, but the height was comfortable for Laura Giuliani, who made a brilliant save. Kelly, however, was quickest to react on the follow-up, toe-poking the ball home and sealing England's spot in the European Championship final via a 2-1 win after extra time. Amid the chaotic mess England had created for themselves, Kelly brought a moment of calm.
'She thrives in these moments,' said Wiegman. 'She loves them, you can tell.'
The player who scored the Euro 2022 winning goal had just sent England through to their third consecutive major tournament final. Neither Kelly's saved penalty nor England's performance was pretty, but somehow they got the job done.
Kelly's goal celebrations sum her up. One was 'chill out… I was going to score', and the other, posing with one hand on the corner flag, was inspired by Thierry Henry. She is cold as ice and plays with swagger.
When asked who has made Kelly the person she is today, her first answer was: 'Myself'.
'Chloe is just attitude, sass, confidence,' said her former Manchester City team-mate Lucy Bronze. 'When she's on the pitch, no matter the moment, how she's feeling, the crowd, she's going to push her shoulders back, big up her chest and go for it. She's just got this attitude and confidence, you can't buy it.'
The youngest of seven siblings, Kelly learned to be resilient from an early age. Her five brothers — Daniel, the oldest, then Jack, followed by triplets Ryan, Jamie and Martin — embody honest hard work while her mum is as 'tough as nails'.
Kelly began at her childhood club Queens Park Rangers before moving to Arsenal's centre of excellence, where she signed her first contract. But she was loaned twice to Everton and took the rejection as motivation to prove herself.
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Her story is one of grafting, patience and comebacks. You can call it confidence, sass or swagger, but Kelly knows her worth, and her past experiences have shaped her today.
The 27-year-old winger was frozen out of the City squad last season after losing her starting place following a breakdown in her relationship with manager Gareth Taylor. She desperately needed game time to secure a place in the England squad and eventually got it after securing a six-month loan move to Arsenal, with whom she won the Champions League last season. She has since joined the north London club on a three-year deal.
'The moments in January when I felt like giving up football make you so grateful for these moments here today,' said Kelly after the game. 'It makes you enjoy every minute of that.'
'She just doesn't really care what people think,' said defender Esme Morgan, who spent four years with Kelly at City. 'She is just her own person and works hard.'
Kelly rose from the dark days just before Euro 2022. The year prior, she ruptured her right anterior cruciate ligament and worked tirelessly to be fit enough in time for selection.
Bronze, who shared the City gym with Kelly as she recovered from her knee injury for the first half of the 2021-2022 season, recalls the 'blood, sweat and tears' during those sessions.
'You probably wouldn't expect her to be that crazy in the gym, but she's such a competitor, so resilient,' said Bronze.
'That's why I know when she's coming on in an England shirt, she can make a difference and she'll give her all. I've seen it when nobody was there, when the fans weren't there, the team wasn't there, it was just me and her.'
Kelly has fulfilled the role of super sub to perfection.
Against Sweden, when she came on in the 78th minute, her two pinpoint crosses were crucial to England's comeback. She then dispatched her penalty with class.
Against Italy, Kelly, as shown by the graphic below, ranked top for progressive carries, an impressive statistic given she only came on in the 77th minute.
Despite not starting a single game, the England winger has also created eight chances, the highest number for a substitute in the competition. By comparison, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo have started all five games and created 10 and 11 chances, respectively.
Kelly accepts her role as a substitute without complaints. She was full of praise for her team-mate Michelle Agyemang, who brought England back from the brink yet again, describing the 19-year-old as an 'unbelievable player' who has 'the world at her feet'.
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'Kelly is a great team-mate to have around,' said Bronze. 'She has not started any of the games but has made a difference in every single one. She is one of those players you want on your team.'
'The way she carries herself off the pitch; I've not got enough good words to say about her,' added Greenwood.
Despite Kelly saying she is responsible for who she is today, she has not forgotten those who have helped her on this journey.
'Confidence comes from within but from around you as well,' she said. 'The players I stand side by side with on the pitch breed confidence in each other. A lot of self-talk definitely happens. My family is really important and breeds a lot of confidence within me.'