Pitch-sized mural of Wales star Fishlock unveiled
Jess Fishlock has 154 caps and 45 international goals to her name [Football Association Wales]
A mural of Wales' record-breaking goal scorer Jess Fishlock has been unveiled.
The tribute, which covers the playing area of a five-a-side football pitch in Splott, Cardiff, celebrates her impact on football, equality and representation.
Advertisement
It is believed to be the first of its kind in Europe for a female footballer and was showcased ahead of Wales' debut in Switzerland for Euro 2025 after the team qualified for a first major tournament in their history.
The mural is designed by artist Regan Gilflin, and brought to life by UNIFY, the Welsh creative studio behind My City, My Shirt and the Gary Speed mural.
Fishlock - who has 162 caps and 47 international goals to her name - has been called a footballing "icon" by Wales boss Rhian Wilkinson.
She made history by breaking Wales' all-time goal scoring record during her team's 2-0 win over Kosovo during the Euro 2025 qualifier.
Advertisement
Last year the midfielder also accepted an Honorary Fellowship from Aberystwyth University.
Fishlock made history last year by breaking Wales' all-time goal scoring record [Orchard Media]
Fishlock, who was born in Cardiff, said she enjoyed sports as a child but her love for football developed at a Mia Hamm soccer camp in the city during the summer holidays.
She previously said: "My older sister wanted to go to the camp and my mum said for me to go along with her.
"I just loved it and my mum says from that moment I was like, 'I'm not doing anything else, this is what I want to do."
She played for Cardiff City Ladies FC from the age of 15 then, at 19 while playing for Wales, Fishlock was approached to move to Holland to play professionally for AZ Alkmaar.
Advertisement
When the Women's Super League launched in 2011, she returned to the UK and joined Bristol and that year she was named the FAW's Women's Player of the Year.
In 2012 she moved to Australia and joined Melbourne Victory before making her move to the US with Seattle Reign FC.
She described the levels of the National Women's Soccer League as higher due to the "sheer intensity, physicality and mentality".
In 2018 she received an MBE for services to women's football and the LGBT community.
Fishlock has spoken openly about her sexuality, saying her experiences growing up made her determined to be a role model in the LGBT community, especially children, after high school was "hell on earth" for her.
Advertisement
In 2019, she celebrated helping Lyon win the French women's league then, in April 2024, became the first Welsh player to reach 150 caps.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
34 minutes ago
- New York Times
Manchester City ‘connect' with Erling Haaland as cast help leading man find his ‘rhythm'
At half-time, as Rayan Cherki enjoyed 15 minutes of nonchalant showboating, an altogether more ferocious warm-up was taking place just across the pitch. Before the referee had even dropped the whistle from his mouth, Erling Haaland galloped onto the pitch with a coach clearly tasked with readying him to replace Omar Marmoush at the break. Advertisement First it was about getting touches in, laying the ball off and spinning. Then something more akin to a rugby practice unfolded as the 6ft 4in Norwegian used his much smaller coach as a human riot shield he had to barge and hold off. This was not limbering up, this was getting ready to make a statement. That's what he, netting his 300th career goal, did. That's what Manchester City, who rediscovered their mojo having mislaid it for the best part of a year, did. This 5-2 battering of Juventus was a level of performance that ranked as their best in a 'long, long time,' according to Pep Guardiola. They were a class above from the very off and had Guardiola had a bingo card of wishes for this game, he would have called 'house' some time before the final whistle. Jeremy Doku had one of his most efficient games yet, full-backs Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marheus Nunes both got an assist, Rodri came through his first start in nine months unscathed, Tijjani Reijnders looks like he alone could provide the team with the legs they lost last season, while Savinho scored a superb long-ranger strike after a barren debut season in front of goal. But what would any of that mean if the man they are building the next decade around, the man who is the club's star attraction here at the Club World Cup, not been at the centre of it? Having only scored one openplay goal in his last ten games and flirted on the periphery of matches, the equation of how to integrate Haaland with a new cast of fluid attackers still had to be solved. The second 45 minutes looked like a reprogrammed team with Haaland and City back in sync. When Doku opened the scoring in the ninth minute, Guardiola, with his hands as tactical puppets, was seen having a detailed talk with his striker on the bench. It was as if he wanted his main man to study how the different pieces of the puzzle were clicking together from the sidelines, so he could unleash him in the second half. It took only seven minutes of the second half for Haaland to convert those observations into a goal. It came from an exquisite team move, the sort that looked like it was from a catalogue of five years ago when David Silva and co created the most fluent version of the City juggernaut. Savinho received the ball at right back and drove inside as Nunes burst 50 yards into the space he had vacated. Reijnders dropped into the space to receive the ball, turned and slid a perfect through ball down the inside of Juventus' left back for Nunes to square across to Haaland. Advertisement All he had to do was stay in line with the far post for ten seconds and tap it in, but then again some strikers would not have anticipated the move flowing as quickly as it did. He made a meal of the finish but it ended in the back of the net and for the remaining 40 minutes he was far more involved in the build-up and helped press Juventus into submission. For City's fourth goal, Haaland continued a theme that had proven successful in the first half with Marmoush finding ways to isolate himself one v one when the ball was at Ederson's feet as City's rotations posed Juventus more questions than they could handle. Haaland plucked a 60 yard diagonal from out of the sky as it fell over his shoulder, dribbled inside and reversed a pass through for Savinho and Phil Foden to finish. For the fifth, it was his snapshot that saw the ball rebound to Savinho and he was only just denied another assist in the 92nd minute. Having made a great run to split the centre backs, Foden's pass was cut out but Haaland reacted instantly, won the ball back and fed Savinho whose shot was saved. Haaland's game, galactic in its goalscoring but usually rigidly defined to between the goal posts, increased its bandwidth in Orlando. City can often function as if they are purely catering to Haaland's specific needs. This performance, more dynamic with the striker offering himself as a bounce pass for midfielders to get up in support, gave City another avenue to attack through the centre, or on the break after he helped win the ball. For context, his 17 touches in that second half were more than eight other games in all competitions last season, including full appearances against Liverpool (in 2-0 loss) and Arsenal (5-1 loss) this season. 'I only ask Erling to make the first action,' said Guardiola. 'No intensity beyond. He has to be a machine in the press but we have to support him. Sometimes he goes and we don't go but today we went there, no matter what. 'All I can say is congratulations. He has scored 300 goals at 24 years old. Pfft! Listen, this manager (me) was an incredible football player but he scored 11 goals in 11 years!'. Advertisement The second half display utterly knocked the belief out of Juventus. It was the sort of dominance we have become accustomed to seeing under Guardiola but the question was whether they could find it again after a season of toil. 'The most important thing today is the fact that we can do it again,' said Guardiola, who highlighted a step up in the rhythm of the training sessions under his new coaching staff. 'I had the feeling the players felt that we can compete in the way we did the last decade and create incredible things. 'We want to face every game with this rhythm and feel that, if we don't do that, we are going to lose. We have to refine ourselves again. That's the most important thing in this period here. 'Of course we want to win the World Cup, but connect ourselves again like we were.' You can sign up to DAZN to watch every FIFA Club World Cup game for free
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
🎥 Vinicius and Bellingham combine for inch-perfect opener at CWC 😍
🎥 Vinicius and Bellingham combine for inch-perfect opener at CWC 😍 The FIFA Club World Cup group stage concludes on Thursday, with Real Madrid one of the teams still chasing a spot in the knockouts. Some two goals in the first 45 minutes against Salzburg, however, have them virtually there. Advertisement The opener arrived when Jude Bellingham sent a brilliant through ball from inside his own half to the feet of Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian took it in stride before cutting back and finding the bottom right corner. And then in the blink of an eye, it was Bellingham and Vini once again involved. The Englishman picked up the ball in the middle of the park and kick-started a second attacking wave. As the move found the first goalscorer, he instead recognized a lone Fede Valverde in the box and teed up the Uruguayan for 2-0. Rocking and rolling in pre-season. 📸 Francois Nel - 2025 Getty Images
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bayern reach agreement with German sensation Woltemade
Bayern Munich have agreed personal terms with VfB Stuttgart forward Nick Woltemade over a summer move, according to Florian Plettenberg. The German international has given the green light to a five-year contract until 2030 with Bayern, who are yet to open talks with Stuttgart. Advertisement However, Stuttgart are trying to retain the forward, whose price tag is believed to be around €60 million. Bayern will remain hopeful of getting the deal done with a substantial offer, backed by Woltemade's desire to make a switch to the Allianz Arena. The Bavarians have beaten Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan for Woltemade, who is one of the hottest prospects in Europe at the moment. The 23-year-old is currently tearing up the U-21 European Championship, bagging six goals and three assists to inspire Germany to the finals, where Die Mannschaft will meet England. Woltemade also had a prolific campaign last season at the club level. He bagged 17 goals and three assists in all competitions, including the strike in Stuttgart's win against Arminia Bielefeld in the DFB Pokal finals. Advertisement With Woltemade, Bayern have continued their strategy of snapping up the best talents within the Bundesliga. The young striker has been viewed as a backup for Harry Kane, but he will be looking to compete for a place in the starting XI. Woltemade can also play as a second striker and No.10. His arrival will fortify an already dangerous-looking forward line, featuring Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala and Kingsley Coman.
