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Mary Earps' legacy shouldn't be overshadowed by her autobiography controversy
Earps' comments about Hannah Hampton's reinstatement to the England squad have sparked widespread criticism, but her contribution to women's goalkeeping should not be overshadowed by it.
In May 2025, Mary Earps dramatically announced her retirement from England duty, just five weeks before the Euros in Switzerland, sending deafening reverberations around the world of women’s football.
For the Lionesses, it marked the departure of an era-defining goalkeeper with 53 caps, who had been pivotal to the national team’s recent success. Earps played every minute of the 2022 Euros and was named in the team of the tournament, as England won the competition for the first time. In the 2023 World Cup final, the Nottingham-born shotstopper saved a penalty in England’s 1-0 defeat to Spain, and was named the best goalkeeper at the tournament, while also claiming the Golden Glove Award.
Un April 2025, when England manager Sarina Wiegman said that rival goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was 'a little bit ahead' in the pecking order, indicating that the 24-year-old would be the new first-choice for England’s defence of their Euros crown, Earps confirmed her retirement.
Wiegman’s decision was epically vindicated when Hampton played a starring role at the 2025 tournament, saving two penalties in the final’s shootout against Spain as the Lionesses clinched their second successive European title.
Earps’ new autobiography, All In: Football, Life and Learning to be Unapologetically Me, exclusively serialised in extracts via the Guardian, revealed her fragmented relationship with Hampton, and she felt that Wiegman’s call to make her England No 1 meant that ‘bad behaviour is being rewarded.’
Earps continued to say that Hampton’s ‘behaviour behind the scenes had frequently risked derailing training sessions and team resources’ during the 2022 Euros. Earps has invited more controversy by refusing to go into the specifics as she’s ‘tried to draw a line under all that,’ while also describing Hampton as a ‘very good goalkeeper.’
Following that tournament, Hampton had been dropped by Wiegman, reportedly due to her attitude. In 2023, the coach reintegrated her into the squad. Earps reveals that Wiegman told her she planned to play Hampton in a Euros qualifier in April 2024. Earps responded by saying, ‘I don’t get it. It’s a qualifier match. And bad behaviour is being rewarded.’
When interviewed by the Guardian, the 32-year-old said that she and Hampton had ‘different ideas of what being a teammate should be’ and a ‘mismatch, a misalignment, of values.’
Hampton hasn’t let the situation thwart her season. She produced a composed display as Chelsea, who top the WSL, beat London City Lionesses 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Hampton has started all the Blues’ league games this season and hasn’t publicly responded to Earps’ comments.
Unsurprisingly, Earps’ revelations in her autobiography have sparked justified criticism, given she and those she is commenting on are still actively playing, risking her popularity and reputation.
It is a shame that events have unfolded as they have, prompting so much input from current players and coaches. Earps' comments have clearly upset quite a few people still - or recently - involved in the England set up and across the women's game, and against a backdrop of a supremely successful summer for the women's game in England, have perhaps seemed more vindictive than they may have done had the Lionesses not powered to European silverware in July.
A core part of the issue - as exemplified by Ellen White below - however, seems to be the breaking of trust. What happens on camp stays in camp. Now it's out for the world to see.
Nevertheless, behind this messy backdrop is a goalkeeper who is one of the most influential and transformative figures in women’s football history.
Earps plays in a marginalised position in a historically disrespected sport. Back in 2021, former Chelsea shotstopper and England international Carly Telford said that women’s goalkeeping is ‘10 to 15 years behind outfield players.’ Telford and ex-Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain argued that this was because of too little investment and low coaching standards.
Earps has served as a beacon of hope to rewrite history and smash down stereotypes, placing much-awaited emphasis upon goalkeepers and their importance to the collective. Alongside her achievements with England, in 2023, Earps also came fifth in the Ballon d’Or rankings, the highest finish for a goalkeeper since the award was introduced for women's football, and was named England Women’s Player of the Year. She was also twice voted the Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper in 2022 and 2023.
These accolades have the power to inspire a generation, leading more and more youngsters down the goalkeeping path. In the BBC Sport documentary, ‘Mary Earps: Queen of Stops’, released in May 2025, current Lioness Alessia Russo echoed this, stating that ‘thousands of girls want to be a goalkeeper because of Mary.’
Through her infectious and driven personality, Earps has devotedly championed women's goalkeeping, pushing for equality and recognition. In the build-up to the 2023 World Cup, Earps discovered that fans were unable to buy the England women’s goalkeeper's top as manufacturers Nike didn’t put the item on sale. She publicly questioned the company on social media, saying their strategy was ‘hugely disappointing and very hurtful.’
In a previous interview with The Athletic, Earps said: ‘It’s the young kids I’m most concerned about. It’s that they’re going to say, ‘Mum, Dad, can I have a Mary Earps shirt?’ and they say, ‘I can’t, but I can get an Alessia Russo No 23 or a Rachel Daly No 9. And so what you’re saying is that goalkeeping isn’t important, but you can be a striker if you want.’
In a following post, she promoted a petition, calling on Nike to ‘rethink’, and it garnered over 100,000 signatures. Nike reacted, releasing a limited number of England goalkeeper jerseys for sale.
Earps’ intense passion for goalkeeping is conveyed by her emotion on the pitch and willingness to raise the sport’s profile. This continued to be acknowledged on a national scale, as in 2023, she was crowned the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year, and the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year. Then in 2024, she received an MBE honour at Windsor Castle for her services to football.
Moreover, she’s been transparent about her off-the-pitch difficulties and mental obstacles. She dealt with bullying in her younger years and is open about her struggles with food, alcohol, and isolation during the COVID-19 lockdowns. This honest vulnerability helped her evolve into a relatable and iconic sportsperson, idolised by youngsters across the country.
During Phil Neville’s tenure as Lionesses manager, Earps was dropped from the international scene. As the pandemic restrictions were lifted, Wiegman rekindled Earps’ England career, selecting her as part of the September 2021 squad. Under the Dutch coach, the Lionesses would embark on an unforgettable journey, which Earps was central to.
The storylines of the 2022 and 2025 Euros should be viewed as celebrations for goalkeepers. In each tournament, Earps and Hampton played massive roles to help the Lionesses make history.
Hampton’s ascension to Earps’ throne as England’s first choice is simply a transition to a new era - a ceremonial passing of the shot-stopping baton to a younger goalkeeper. Hampton is incredibly talented and has obviously grown as a player, and, more importantly, as a person, prompting Wiegman to give her a second chance before naming her the new number one.
The Englishwoman now plays her club football in France, after signing for Paris Saint-Germain in July 2024, living with her new partner, Kitty.
Although she’s closed the chapter on her international career, Earps still has an unrelenting desire to succeed domestically. ‘I’m going to play as long as I can, because I bloody love this game,’ she proudly said.
The situation is still raw and fresh. It is possible that Earps has let her pride spill over into bitterness, but once the dust settles, her legacy as the unstoppable pioneer for women’s football and goalkeeping will prevail.
Earps’ previous England team-mate Ellen White summed her up perfectly: ‘She changed goalkeeping. She changed the game. But she hasn’t changed.’
Being “unapologetically” herself is a non-negotiable of Earps’ brand. On this occasion, there has been a strong current of consequences - and they've not been positive. Bbut this mantra has been the catalyst driving her success and one of the pillars of her culture-shaping legacy.