Whatever else Chloe Kelly goes on to achieve, her name will forever be etched into English football history as the woman whose goal brought football home.
Not once, but twice, as Kelly followed up her dramatic European Championship extra-time winning goal against Germany by netting the decisive penalty in the inaugural Women’s Finalissima against Brazil, again at Wembley Stadium. The childhood Queens Park Rangers supporter was born in London on 15 January 1998.
Kelly’s journey began in the shadows of Wembley Stadium, growing up in Ealing 15 minutes away from the home of football, as she followed her five older brothers in falling in love with the beautiful game. The Manchester City forward would spend hours playing in the football cages found in the parks of west London, which Kelly credits to honing the creative aspect of her game as she was forced to use strength, speed, and skill in tight spaces.
QPR and Arsenal
Aged eight, Kelly was invited to join QPR’s academy and played in the Home Counties Cup for the club’s Under-10s. Speaking to the club’s official website, her ex-coach Steve Quashie said: “She is one that would just glide past opponents, had some lovely receiving skills and some good movement.
“But she also was tenacious and that comes from playing football with her brothers, she always had a beaming smile at training because she was playing for the club that she dearly loves. With her QPR sweatbands on she would sit talking about the club and rave about it, coming to as many games as she could.
“Being part of a side at QPR that was undefeated for two years straight we always knew she would go on to bigger and better things, but none of us thought she would become such a highly established, qualified and intelligent international footballer.”
Despite her strong affinity with the Loftus Road club, Kelly would soon make the move across the capital to Arsenal and would progress through the Gunners’ Centre of Excellence. The two-hour round trip on the train proved worthwhile as she made her senior debut for Arsenal against Watford on 23 July 2015 in a Continental Cup tie, scoring after 22 minutes.
Youth Internationals
Kelly was a regular feature for the Lionesses’ youth sides before making her senior debut in 2018, during which time she was part of squads to place third and fourth with the Under-17 and Under-20s. She scored her first international tournament finals goal on 2 December 2013 in a comprehensive 6-1 win over Portugal at Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium, helping the Young Lionesses reach the semi-finals of the 2014 UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship. Kelly missed from the spot against Italy in the third-place play-off match as England had to settle for fourth place.
In 2018 at the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, Kelly was part of the Young Lionesses squad that went one better by finishing in third place, defeating France in the third-place play-off after losing 2-0 to eventual winners Japan in the semi-finals.
Turning Point
While rubbing shoulders alongside greats such as Kelly Smith, Rachel Yankey, Alex Scott, and Casey Stoney, Kelly points to her move to Everton as the “turning point” in her career. Initially joining the Toffees on a three-month loan in June 2016, Kelly re-signed on loan a year later in July 2017 before making her stay on Merseyside a permanent one in January 2018.
Speaking in EA Sports documentary Believe, Kelly admitted that while she was learning a great deal from being in the same changing room as experienced internationals, she needed regular football to continue her development.
Kelly said: “I was playing with the likes of Kelly Smith and Rachel Yankey, still learning from great professionals. I needed to experience playing time and making mistakes on the pitch to learn from them, so I went on loan to Everton for three months.
“I signed for them full-time and that was great for me. I think that was probably a turning point in my career where I knew I had to take a step away from my comfort zone, being at Arsenal where it was comfortable for me, living in London, to making the move up to Liverpool to push myself on the pitch and get minutes and experience.”
That move proved to be the making of Kelly, who would go on to sign for Man City in 2020 and was named in the PFA Women’s Super League (WSL) Team of the Year. The forward scored 10 goals in 21 WSL appearances and was part of the Man City side to win the delayed 2020 Women’s FA Cup final (taking place in November due to Covid) against her old side Everton.
Despite suffering an ACL injury in May 2021, the ex-QPR youngster etched her name into English football history a little over a year late. In the 110th minute of the Women’s European Championship final at Wembley Stadium, Kelly scored from close range to bring an end to 46 years of hurt.
By Aaron Gratton
