Jess Fishlock: Why England must be wary of oldest Women's Euros goalscorer

Telegraph

2 days ago

Time stood still as Jess Fishlock waited for her historic goal to be confirmed.
Officials had originally ruled there had been an offside in the build-up when she side-footed a loose ball into the back of the French net but, after a VAR check, that decision was overturned. Cue pandemonium in the stands and on the touchline.
It was a goal that confirmed Fishlock, at 38 years and 176 days, as the oldest ever goalscorer at a Women's Euros. She is also the only woman to score for Wales at a major tournament.
The moment Wales women scored their first EVER goal in a major tournament 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
It had to be Jess Fishlock 👊 #WEuro2025 pic.twitter.com/UvGucEaSJD
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 9, 2025
If there is a player the Lionesses should be wary of ahead of Sunday's final group game in St Gallen, it is Fishlock.
Wales' hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages are all but over after defeats by the Netherlands and France, but they will be determined to do everything to make life difficult for England, who will reach the quarter-finals with a win.
Fishlock, who holds the record for most caps (164) and goals (48) of any Welsh player, male or female, will be at the heart of everything they try to do.
'She's the person that puts the team on her shoulders and carries them through, very much like Gareth Bale did so often for the men's team,' Fishlock's former Wales team-mate Helen Ward tells Telegraph Sport. 'She's certainly the person we look to when we need a bit of magic.'
Fishlock's international career has spanned more than 19 years, with the forward having made her debut in 2006. Her first club was Cardiff City, where she stayed until 2012 having made her debut at the age of 15.
Jamie Sherwood, who managed the club between 2012 and 2014, was a mentor to Fishlock and tells Telegraph Sport: 'It was clear to me that her knowledge and her ability to inspire players to try new things was a quality that was unmistakable.
'She is methodical and meticulous in her approach to the game. She had the power to influence people with her actions and behaviours, and the respect she has from others allows her to make a huge impact in team dynamics and individuals' belief and personality.'
Fishlock's career has taken her to Melbourne and Seattle, who she has been with since 2013, via many loan spells. The journey to and from the United States to Wales' international camps has often been gruelling but Fishlock has always made herself available.
Katie Sherwood, who won 50 caps for Wales, has known Fishlock since they were eight years old. 'To be able to do what Jess has done over the years combining travel, training and elite performance is remarkable but that goes down to her preparation,' Sherwood says.
'Her desire to achieve, the love for her country and team-mates, and her mentality to want to keep pushing the standards… It was always clear that Jess was driven to compete, win and achieve.'
Fishlock has won league titles in six different countries (the Netherlands, Australia, Scotland, Germany, France, and the US) as well as two Champions League trophies during loan spells with Lyon and Frankfurt. But helping Wales to qualify for a major tournament, and scoring their first goal at the event, is surely her greatest achievement.
'It was magical to see Jess score that goal and all my children were celebrating the goal like we had won the game!' Jamie Sherwood says, while wife Katie adds: 'It was written in the stars.
'It's been a long road to this point, it's been a battle to change opinions and mindsets towards our game and how it's perceived, and Jess has been at the forefront of this movement for 20 years. For it to be Jess who achieved this moment is special.'
Fishlock has been one of many players to lead the push for better facilities and support for the Wales team.
'Jess continues to do that now, she won't settle,' Ward says. 'She's got every right to be that person because what she's done on the pitch for Wales is more than anyone has ever done and probably will ever do.'
Her Wales career has not always been plain sailing. She was captain when Jarmo Matikainen was manager but when her former team-mate Jayne Ludlow took over in 2015, she was dropped from the squad and stripped of the captaincy.
Ludlow had said she wanted to give other players an opportunity but it was a controversial move, with Fishlock describing it as one of the lowest points of her career. But Fishlock was soon recalled, with her and Ludlow developing a mutual respect for one another.
'For a lot of players that could have broken them and ruined their relationship with the team,' Ward says. 'I know it did hit her hard at the time but I think it also gave her an opportunity to focus on her football. She was still the face of the team for the most part and that never really changed whether she was wearing the armband or not.'
Fishlock is undoubtedly the headline act of this Wales team – but what are her biggest strengths that England must look out for?
'She's the ultimate box-to-box midfielder in my opinion,' Ward says. 'People think she's a bit of a No 10 because she scores lots of goals, but actually what she does going the other way is equally as important for the team.
'The way she retrieves the ball from opponents, despite her size she's exceptional in the air. She's a fierce competitor but she's also got unbelievable quality on the ball. She can finish, she can find a pass, her vision is probably better than most.
'She's got it all. She puts everything on the line, heart and soul. She often looks like she's smoked 40 cigarettes and can't breathe but she'll still keep going, she's like a little Duracell Bunny!'
Wales' qualification for Euro 2025 was a full circle moment for someone like Fishlock, who has fought desperately to take her country to a major tournament. It is unclear whether she will continue to play for Wales or consider international retirement once the tournament is over. What is certain is that she will be desperate to end on a high.
'She will be in camp now ensuring everyone is ready to face England,' Katie Sherwood says. 'Jess will want to finish strong, she will want to leave our mark on this tournament, on and off the pitch.'