Chloe Kelly: “You can never write the English off” | OneFootball

When England needed a hero, Michelle Agyemang arrived off the bench to find the equaliser. When England needed another hero, it was the turn of Chloe Kelly to smash home the rebound from close range after her initial extra-time penalty effort had been parried away by Laura Giuliani. It was enough to earn the 27-year-old the Visa Player of the Match trophy.

Speaking in a post-match press conference, the Arsenal forward piled on the praise for her “brilliant” teammates. “Right now, I’m feeling so proud to be English, as I know every English person is right now. I just can’t believe what just happened. The belief in the squad, the resilience and the togetherness of this group is so special,” she explained.

Kelly has been incredibly important for England throughout the tournament, as have the other substitutes when called upon by Sarina Wiegman. Their task, the forward reveals, is to “take the opportunity to step onto the pitch and do your job. I think we have 23 amazing players in our group and each one of us is ready for any moment that’s given to us. Tonight showed the bounce back of our squad, that you can never write the English off.”

“The girls did an incredible job playing into positions they’re not used to. That’s what I mean when I say ‘when given the opportunity, we take it’ – whether that’s stepping in a different position or taking a step onto the pitch. Any opportunity you get to wear this badge, we’re all so proud to do so, and I think that’s what happens when a great team comes together and makes things happen. Three consecutive finals, playing under an unbelievable manager in Sarina, but this is way more than that. This is the coaching staff that you don’t see. This is the background that you don’t see. It’s incredible to be part of this special team, I’m so proud.”

As announced earlier this week, England collectively decided not to take the knee before kick-off, as they feel the gesture is no longer enough to tackle racial abuse in sport, which Jess Carter has been subjected to throughout the tournament. Kelly explained: “I think it was a special moment for us, and a powerful moment for us to show that this is not what we accept, not in society, not in sport, and there needs to be more done to make sure this isn’t happening over and over again. It’s disappointing to see that sometimes women mask racism and I think it’s really disappointing that sometimes success could mask that. It definitely shouldn’t, and I think it needs to be a learning from everyone that it has no place in our spot, in society too.”

After seeing her initial penalty effort saved by Italy’s goalkeeper, Kelly displayed lightning reaction times to power home the rebound, and she insists that “the reaction is just as important as the action. I think for me it’s really important to do that and not dwell on the moment.”

“Michelle [Agyemang] came onto the pitch and made something happen for the team, got us back into the game, and that built so much momentum for us, especially that one when she hit the crossbar. That gave us new energy, she was unbelievable tonight. She gave us a lot of confidence.”

Kelly, who signed a permanent deal with Arsenal after her loan move in the second half of 2024/25, now carries herself with confidence and self-belief once again. Who made her into that person? “Myself,” she explains. “The moments when, in January, I felt like giving up football, make you so grateful for these moments here today and it makes you enjoy every minute of that.”

“I think confidence comes from within, but from around you as well. The players that we stand by side with on the pitch breed confidence in each other, but I think a lot of self-talk definitely happens and the people that you surround yourself with, off the pitch, my family, are really important to me and they breed a lot of confidence within me.”