The sass, swagger and dark times behind Chloe Kelly's unbreakable confidence

Independent

4 days ago

England were seconds away from going home. Losing 1-0 to Italy in the Euro 2025 semi-finals, the Lionesses needed a hero. Up stepped Chloe Kelly, raising her arms as she prepared to deliver an inswinging corner from the left. But as the England fans behind the goal prayed for a moment of inspiration, it was immediately clear that something was wrong: Kelly dragged her cross straight out of play. It landed, horribly, into the side-netting.
'Obviously it wasn't the plan,' Kelly grimaced. Neither was it the plan to miss a penalty with the chance to send England through to the Euro 2025 final, but Kelly's response to both the failed corner and saved spot-kick remained the same. 'The reaction is as important as the action,' Kelly explained. 'For me, it was important to not dwell on the moment.' Instead, she followed up her penalty miss by scoring the rebound, telling everyone to 'chill' as they lost their minds.
For Kelly, the 119th-minute winner in Geneva is the latest in a long line of iconic moments in England shirt, to go alongside Wembley, Brisbane and Zurich. When the pressure is at its highest, Kelly has been able to rise above it and deliver, time and time again.
'She thrives in those moments where all eyes are on her and she knows she needs to produce, and she's just go this belief in herself,' said England defender Esme Morgan. 'She has always been like that. Chloe just doesn't care what other people think. She's her own person and she works hard. She knows what she's brilliant at. So when there's a moment to execute what she's brilliant at, she just feels 10 feet tall and ready to take it.'
Right now, if you could bottle and sell what Kelly has, you would earn yourself a fortune. 'Chloe's just attitude, sass, confidence,' said Lucy Bronze. As if to illustrate this, when asked after England's win where her confidence and self-belief came from, Kelly simply replied: 'Myself'.
No one in world football is taking on the game in the way Kelly is, from her high-stepping penalty run-up to her viral wedding photo shinpads and her grin before taking the penalty to keep England at the Euros during the quarter-finals. Yet it was only a few months ago that the 27-year-old was questioning her her love for the sport and future in it. She was, she said, in a 'dark place'.
Frozen out at Manchester City, Kelly was at risk of dropping out of Sarina Wiegman 's England squad. Her place at the Euros hinged on the success of her loan move to Arsenal but it was on her move back to north London that Kelly's smile returned. Working alongside Renee Slegers at Arsenal, Kelly was told to be herself. She began to play with joy again and finished the season as a Champions League winner.
That version of Kelly has shone through in Switzerland. Three years ago, Kelly was only just recovering from an ACL injury when she seized her opportunity to score England's winning goal in the Euro 2022 final. Three years later, Kelly is playing with the same determination to take nothing for granted, but with her self-belief at an all-time high. 'When she's on the pitch, no matter what, she's going to push her shoulders back, big up her chest and she's going to go for it,' Bronze said.
At Euro 2025, Kelly's instructions from Wiegman are the same as they were in Euro 2022: to go on and change the game for England. She has now made 11 consecutive appearances as a substitute between both tournaments but her approach has remained consistent. 'Take the opportunity when it comes,' Kelly explained. 'We've got 23 amazing players in the squad and we're all ready.'
England's super-sub has made yet another devastating impact off the bench at a major tournament. But above all, missing a penalty only to go again and convert the rebound was a way of encapsulating an entire career, illustrating that the biggest successes often come from bouncing back.
'The moments in January when I felt like giving up football, makes you grateful for these moments here today,' Kelly reflected. 'Confidence comes from within but from around you as well. The players I stand side by side with on the pitch, [we] breed confidence in each other. The people you surround yourself with, my family is really important to me and will breed a lot of confidence within me.'
Bronze may have briefly stood over the penalty spot when England were awarded their last-minute penalty against Italy but there was no question who was going to take; no doubt, either, that Kelly would slow herself down, spin the ball on its mark, take a deep breath, and lift up her left leg to begin her run-up. The surprise was the save but the response was never in doubt.
The initial celebration amid the chaos, as Kelly pushed her hands towards the ground, told its own story: 'It was more like, 'Chill out, I was going to score! Chill out, it was OK!'' Kelly laughed.
Then came the second celebration, one that will go down well in north London, with her arm on the corner flag waiting and admiring the view like Thierry Henry. The message? Don't worry, England, I've got this.