Chloe Kelly has become England's unashamed icon at Euro 2025, with her eye-catching style and crucial goals driving the Lionesses to the final. Known for her shirt-waving celebration at Euro 2022, trademark headband, and unique penalty run-up, Kelly thrives on attention. Teammate Esme Morgan says, 'She just doesn’t really care what people think.'
Kelly's journey to this point was far from smooth. Frozen out by Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor, she made only one league start all season and was ready to walk away from football. In January, she posted a social media tirade against City, saying, 'To be dictated whom I can and can’t join... is having a huge impact on not only my career but my mental wellbeing.' The outburst secured a last-gasp move to Arsenal.
At Arsenal, Kelly revived her career, winning back her England place. She rescued the quarter-final against Sweden and scored the winning goal against Italy. Without her intervention, England might have been watching the final from home. Kelly's determination has been a constant: at 20, she left Arsenal for Everton to get first-team football, and when dropped by Sarina Wiegman, she vowed to 'fight to get my shirt back.'
Now, pressure mounts on Wiegman to start Kelly in the final. Former Lioness Rachel Daly noted the value of players who can 'chaos' the game, a quality Kelly embodies. As Kelly herself said, asked who made her the person she is today: 'Myself.'
