Women's World Cup: Ellen White - England Lionesses' success will have lasting legacy

1 year ago 20

Ellen White column

I was devastated England mislaid to Spain successful the Women's World Cup final, but much than thing I'm truthful arrogant of the players and my erstwhile team-mates.

It was a agelong 45 minutes from the last whistle to the trophy assistance and I was talking connected tv astir the team, the radical and manager Sarina Wiegman - what they person done for women's shot successful England.

They person had truthful galore ups and downs successful this tourney and faced them head-on. It shows the mentality of the group.

They should beryllium truthful arrogant of themselves for reaching the World Cup final. Not a batch of radical tin accidental they person done that. It's evidently devastating to lose, but the federation were gripped backmost home.

What they person done for small girls - creating relation models for them - is conscionable incredible. Hopefully they volition bespeak connected that successful the adjacent fewer weeks and tin beryllium arrogant of what they did and the mode successful which they represented England retired successful Australia.

'Losing volition person created other determination'

Lucy Bronze has a beardown mentality, but I tin ideate this 1 truly hurts for her.

As soon arsenic we won the Euros, she was like: "What are we winning next?"

She has that mentality that not a batch of radical have. It's what drives her, pushes her and has enabled her to execute what she has successful the game.

I americium gutted for her. She made the mistake which led to Spain's winning goal, but it's not the crushed we mislaid that game. There are truthful galore much moments successful the crippled that came aft that.

She volition person a fewer weeks to herself earlier going backmost to Barcelona and she's 1 of the hardest-working players I cognize and has a beardown mentality.

The likes of Millie Bright, Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood and Mary Earps - it volition wounded them all.

Mary had 1 of the champion performances from a goalkeeper I person ever seen. She kept america successful the crippled with her saves, including the penalty, and her presence.

The mode she has developed implicit the past 3 oregon 4 years is incredible.

In the past World Cup she was determination arsenic 3rd choice. In this one, she went successful arsenic first-choice goalkeeper and came retired with the Golden Glove. What a development. What a mentality for her to have.

But I cognize this volition motivate them. Walking past that trophy volition person created a occurrence successful their belly. They volition privation to push, beryllium successful much finals and privation to win.

The 2019 World Cup semi-final defeat inactive annoys me! It was truly hard to get over. But it did make other determination.

'Sarina Wiegman volition privation more'

We person ever known we had endowment successful our squad and successful England, truthful we should beryllium winning things. You conscionable request everything to travel together.

You request the close players, the close staff, the close civilization and the close manager astatine the helm - and that's what we person now. Sarina Wiegman is truthful competitory and she volition privation more. She volition privation to win.

What a feat for Sarina to scope back-to-back World Cup finals having besides got determination with the Netherlands successful 2019. It's phenomenal what she's done for the crippled but besides for English football.

I cognize she volition privation to propulsion connected and privation to win. We are looking to suffice for the Olympics - that's the adjacent thing.

We are precise fortunate we person her until 2025, past we'll see, but she's an unthinkable leader. Let's anticipation she sticks astir a small longer!

We're not successful a modulation which is simply a bully happening - determination is decidedly much occurrence successful this team. We person got immoderate hugely talented players who person each experienced large tournaments now. Some person been to 2 tournaments and reached 2 finals.

'I anticipation my babe girl volition person an Earps shirt'

Overall, this World Cup was each astir visibility for me. Morocco defender Nouhaila Benzina wearing a hijab for the archetypal clip for illustration means different girls tin accidental "she looks similar me".

Every subordinate is antithetic truthful you privation young girls and boys to spot themselves arsenic individuals. It's precise powerful. It's unthinkable to spot these relation models due to the fact that I didn't person those increasing up.

The passionateness the England players show, the professionalism and conscionable the enjoyment they play with - for young boys and girls, and the older generation, they tin consciousness empowered by this group.

They are England's archetypal elder shot squad to scope a World Cup last since 1966. It's ace almighty stuff, it truly is. We would person loved for them to person gone connected and won, but they person inactive changed the crippled for us.

There volition beryllium much and much young girls wanting to play football, retired successful the plot wearing Lauren Hemp shirts. I person a small babe girl and for her to person specified unthinkable relation models to look up to… hopefully she tin person a small Mary Earps garment 1 time arsenic well.

I'm definite what they person done volition person a lasting interaction connected our nine for years to come.

My idiosyncratic connection to the squad is this: the full federation are arrogant of you and what you person done for the game. It doesn't spell unnoticed. You shouldn't beryllium disheartened.

It's a large accomplishment to scope a World Cup last truthful don't underestimate however incredibly talented you are. You volition spell again, you volition get to large finals and you volition triumph a World Cup soon. The full federation was transfixed by this tourney truthful conscionable cognize you are inspiring truthful galore people.

Ellen White was speaking to BBC Sport's Emma Sanders.

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