Chloe Kelly is determined to approach the World Cup with the same carefree and fun-loving attitude she had as a child dreaming of playing on such a stage.
Just under a year on from scoring the goal at Wembley that clinched Euros glory for England, winger Kelly is in line to make her World Cup debut on Saturday when Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses open their campaign against Haiti in Brisbane.
The 25-year-old Manchester City star played cage football as a child growing up in west London, and she said: “You have to hold your own against the boys.
“I think that is great, having a little bit of personality to go in those cages and hold your own against players that probably didn’t respect you when you first walked in there. They definitely do as you leave.
“I think it is really important to have that personality that I try to bring on the pitch every day.
“I try to just be creative, free and just play with a smile on my face. I think that little girl is still inside me, the one that loves playing football.
“Being at such a huge tournament, that’s exactly what I am going there to do. I am going there as the little girl of Chloe Kelly that just loves playing football.
“There will be so many kids with that dream to play at a World Cup, and that’s all I think about. One day I was that little girl with this huge dream.”
The extra-time finish that secured the Lionesses’ first major trophy, a goal Kelly memorably celebrated by taking off her shirt and whirling it around her head as she wheeled away in her sports bra, has made her a household name.
“I am definitely getting stopped (in the street) a little bit more, but I haven’t changed as a person,” Kelly said.
“I feel like I am just me. I try to be myself in every situation. Being approachable and being able to speak to young girls, to influence so many people, is very special to me because I once looked up to the likes of Kelly Smith and Jill Scott.
“To be able to be that person for young females today…I think it is great seeing so many of us being able to do so.
“I’ve seen a lot of players and tags on Instagram of players doing the celebration. A Newcastle Women’s player did the celebration. I think it is great to see the impact we have had. That celebration for me was just a spontaneous moment and to see it influence so many people is special.
“I think it was very powerful. In the moment I didn’t realise. I just celebrated the goal at Wembley as I would when I was a kid playing in the cages.
“That just reminded me of those moments and I was being myself in that moment. For me, I didn’t realise how much it would do for women but it’s very special that it did.”
Former City midfielder Scott, holder of 161 England caps, retired after the Euros, along with the team’s record scorer Ellen White.
And 26-cap Kelly added: “Jill was like a mum to us. So having ‘big sisters’ in Rach (Daly) and Millie (Bright, the squad’s captain for the World Cup) is great.
“They are just so relaxed and bring a laugh to the table. I think it is great to have that. There is so much experience within them and being able to lean on players like that is very important.
“I think there are so many leaders in this group with so much experience. Even the young players, as people would say, we have so much experience.
“I think being able to have so many players that have been to tournaments in the past is a great balance. The depth of our squad is amazing.”
