Earps’ impact on the growth of women’s football and England’s success has been enormous.
As well as playing a key role in England’s Euro 2022 victory, she was vice-captain as they reached the 2023 World Cup final, saving a penalty in their defeat by Spain.
More standout moments in the inaugural Women’s Finalissima followed and she earned a high-profile move from Manchester United to Paris St-Germain last summer.
She has also been showered with individual accolades, winning the Fifa Best goalkeeper award twice, as well as the Golden Glove for the best keeper at the 2023 World Cup.
Her impact off the pitch has been as significant.
She used her platform to speak out, discussing her personal mental health struggles while collecting her award at the Fifa Best event in 2023.
But perhaps her most notable intervention came when she called out Nike for failing to sell England women’s goalkeeper shirts before the World Cup, which led to a petition gathering more than 150,000 signatures and the sportswear giant making a U-turn.
At England games, fans would scream her name to sign autographs and take photos, while a mural outside Old Trafford was painted following Euro 2022.
A plaque honouring Earps was installed in her home city, Nottingham, where she also has a tram named after her.
She was also the first female footballer to have a waxwork figure made at Madame Tussauds, winning a public vote.
Her status as a firm fan favourite was cemented when she won BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year in 2023, showing her profile had transcended football.
Earps herself said in February 2023 she wanted to make goalkeeping “cool” and there can be no dispute that she has done that.
She went from being cast aside by Neville in 2019, to dancing on the press conference table with a Euro 2022 winners’ medal around her neck and roaring in celebration as she made crucial penalty saves in 2023.
Leave a Reply