Six months ago, it looked like the 27-year-old wouldn't even be in Sarina Wiegman's Euro 2025 squad, making her path to tournament hero some turnaround

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• Inspired by retro sportswear and Lioness kits of the past
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• Inspired by retro sportswear and Lioness kits of the past
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• Available in S, M, L, XL and 2XL

From

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• Features bursts of bright colours accenting a fearless black
• Available in S, M, L, XL and 2XL

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For casual fans of the Lionesses, Chloe Kelly's summer of heroics has been perfectly in keeping with what they know about the England winger. After scoring iconic winner in the Euro 2022 final and delivering another clutch moment with her decisive spot-kick against Nigeria at the World Cup a year later, Kelly's game-changing performances in the knockout stages at Euro 2025, which propelled the Lionesses to the title, simply upheld her reputation as the woman for the big moment.

Yet, to only focus on her international exploits is to ignore the fact that, six months ago, it didn't look like Kelly would even be part of the squad this summer.

The 27-year-old's contributions at Euro 2025 were incredible even without the whole back story. When England trailed 2-0 to Sweden with only 12 minutes remaining of their quarter-final clash, on came Kelly and within seconds, she had curled in a world-class cross for Lucy Bronze to head home. Two minutes later, she was at it again, as another delivery caused chaos in the box and Michelle Agyemang capitalised to draw the Lionesses level. To complete the set, Kelly also netted her penalty in the shootout, as England somehow got over the line.

In the semi-finals, it was a little scruffier, but it was just as memorable. When Beth Mead was hauled down in the box by Italy defender Emma Severini in the penultimate minute of extra-time, there was brief confusion among onlookers as to who was going to take the spot-kick, with regular assignee Georgia Stanway now on the bench. But up stepped Kelly, the picture of cool, and while her initial effort was parried by Laura Giuliani, she reacted brilliantly to tap in the rebound.

Then came the final act. When England found themselves 1-0 down on Sunday, it was another cross from Kelly which created the goal that got them back into things. When they moved to within one spot-kick of victory in the penalty shootout, it was the queen of the pressure moment who stepped up and thunder one beyond Cata Coll.

When the Lionesses needed a hero at Euro 2025, so many players stepped up, with Agyemang, Bronze and Hannah Hampton all grabbing the headlines across the knockout stages. But this will go down as the tournament of Chloe Kelly, which makes it all the more remarkable to consider that, for a while, she probably didn't even think she was going to play in it.

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  Ups and downs

  To trace the start of Kelly's surprising fall, one must go back almost 18 months. At the time, the winger was one of the most recognisable stars of the Women's Super League, owing to her consistency in the division, yes, but also because of her England exploits, headlined by that winning goal in the Euros final.

  Her rise to that point in itself was spectacular. Kelly was a regular in England squads after her move to Manchester City in 2020, but an ACL injury threw her chances of playing in the home tournament in serious doubt. Then only 23 years old, the winger managed to recover from that setback just in time to play a little at the end of the 2021-22 season, impressing Wiegman enough to squeeze into the squad. Her role at the tournament would be limited, totalling just 198 minutes across six substitute appearances, but she made the most of it, netting the goal at Wembley which secured the Lionesses' first major title.

  However, over a year before the defence of that trophy was set to begin, Kelly was experiencing a slight dip in form that can be picked out as the starting point of an almighty fall. Gareth Taylor, then the head coach at City, opted to give Mary Fowler a chance in attack instead, and it was an opportunity the Australia forward grabbed with both hands, scoring twice and providing three assists in City's four games in March 2024. She wouldn't drop out of the XI again before the season's end.

  At the same time, Kelly was about to enter the final 12 months of her contract in Manchester and, as is often the case in such situations, rumours of interest from elsewhere started to be reported. Did the speculation have any link to or impact on what would follow? It's impossible to know for sure, but it feels important to note given talks over a contract renewal would soon stall.

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  Growing 'concern'

  When Kelly came back in for pre-season last summer, it wasn't just Fowler that she was battling for a place in the City XI either, but also Aoba Fujino. The Japan international was snapped up from Tokyo Verdy Beleza, and while some might have imagined that she'd need time to settle after such a big move, the youngster exploded onto the WSL scene and marked herself out as one of the signings of the season from an early stage.

  It was a further hit to Kelly's minutes, which were rapidly, and suddenly, on the decline. It was one thing to be ousted from the starting XI in a title run-in by a player who couldn't stop scoring, but another altogether to start a new season on the bench and never manage to regain a footing in the line-up.

  Through Man City's first nine league games of the season, a period that took them up to the Christmas break, Kelly was thrice an unused sub and only once a starter as she accumulated just 165 minutes across six fixtures, for an average of 27.5 per game. Asked in November when that lack of regular minutes might become a concern on an England front, Wiegman didn't beat around the bush. "I think it's a concern right now, already," she replied, eight months out from the Lionesses' European title defence.

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  Point of no return

  Unsurprisingly, reports soon emerged of a breakdown in the relationship between Kelly and Taylor and the stalling of contract talks, less than a year out from the winger's current deal expiring. The latter made the situation all the more complicated, as it meant the chances of a club coming in for Kelly in the January window was much more unlikely, as they could just wait a few months and pick her up on a free. Yet, what the winger desperately needed, especially if she was to stay in the England picture, was a January move.

  To that point, she had clung onto a spot in the Lionesses squad, owing to the "credit" she had built up with Wiegman over several years and aided by the injury absences of Lauren Hemp and Lauren James. If England had a full complement to pick from, it's likely that Kelly's first omission from a squad in the Wiegman era would have come much earlier than it eventually did.

  Then came the sliding doors moment of January's deadline day. There was talk of interest from Manchester United in a loan move for Kelly, which City were unwilling to sanction. "To be dictated whom I can and can’t join with only four months left of the football season is having a huge impact on not only my career but my mental well-being," Kelly wrote on Instagram. "The situation has dragged on for too long, it’s disappointing and not right. I am human and I have and will give everything to the game that I love. Ultimately, I just want to be happy again.”

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  Lifeline

  Fortunately for Kelly, while City were unwilling to send her out to join a geographical rival that was also battling for the same WSL goals, they were fine to sanction a temporary switch to Arsenal, despite the Gunners being another team right up there fighting for Champions League football alongside the Cityzens. It was questionable from the club, but Kelly certainly wasn't going to be one to raise queries as she returned to the club where she came through as a teenager.

  Patience was needed at the start. Arsenal's first two games after Kelly's arrival were against City, meaning she was ineligible to play, and she was then cup-tied for the clash with London City Lionesses which followed. Having already not featured for the Cityzens since before Christmas, Wiegman had no choice but to drop Kelly when she announced her England squad in February. "She hasn't played enough," the Lionesses boss explained. "Last autumn, she hardly played and, as I said, she built some credit, but over that time, she made so few minutes."

  Crucially, though, the door was by no means closed. "We had a good conversation yesterday and she understands. She's not out for the Euros," Wiegman added. "Get started at Arsenal, get some minutes in, start playing and showing what you're about, and then we can revisit that again."