By Alyce Collett (30/07/2025)
Above: Hannah Hampton in action. Photo: PA/Wire.
There were many stories to come out of England’s success at the 2025 Euros, with many members of the squad delivering when it ultimately matters to seal a title defence for the Lionesses. One of those was Hannah Hampton, with the 24 year old goal keeper delivering a rock solid performance in goal to see England through two intense penalty shoot outs in both the quarter-final against Sweden and final against Spain.
It has been a pretty remarkable 18 months or so for Hampton, who made her Lionesses debut in 2022 but did not make her competitive debut for the team until the Euros Qualifier against the Republic of Ireland in April last year.
Since then she has continued to show her merit and slowly but surely earned her spot as the first choice goal keeper for England, dethroning Mary Earps in the process.
In the weeks leading up to the Euros there had been a lot of discussion in the mainstream media about the decision to have Hampton as the number one keeper, but Hampton certainly proved her doubters wrong during her first major tournament.
This started with a stellar save to her right in England’s penalty shootout win over Sweden in the quarter-final; which she made with a tampon up one nostril due to a nosebleed. Her heroic status was then sealed in the final, where she once again came up clutch with two saves to deny Spain and ensure England retained their European crown.
Hannah Hampton Stats Euros 2025 Final vs Spain
Shots on Target Against: 5
Saves: 4
Save Percentage: 80%
It is not easy to stay alert and concentrate hard as a goal keeper for a full 90 minutes, but that is exactly what Hampton did in the Euros Final, plus the extra half an hour of extra time.
Up the other end there was clear examples of concentration and communication levels dropping within the Spanish defensive group, which never happened with Hampton and the defenders in front of her.
However, Hampton lifted her performance to another level in the penalty shoot out.
One interesting thing about the way Hampton goes about facing a penalty shot is her lack of movement in anticipation of the shot. Where other goal keepers will bounce up and down the goal line and wave their arms around to try and intimidate the player taking the kick, Hampton takes a very different approach. She does not move her feet aside from a slight hop, with the only real movement coming from what can be described as over emphasised claps.
The first shot she faced was against Patri Guijarro, whose penalty was successful after Hampton dived to her left but Guijarro’s shot went straight down the middle.
The second shot Hampton faced would prove to be a different story for the English keeper.
Facing Mariona Caldentey – who is well known for being a strong penalty kick taker – Hampton again dived to her left, but with a little bit more energy and stretch in her dive than she had in her attempt to save Guijarro’s shot. This proved to be important because it meant she was able to stop Caldentey’s shot, but if she had not had that power, she would not have dived far enough to be able to stop the shot.
The third penalty taker for Spain was Aitana Bonmati, who much like Caldentey was unable to get past Hampton.
This time though, Bonmati took a different approach to both Guijarro and Caldentey, instead choosing to shoot to Hampton’s right side instead of her left. Hampton did initially take a step to her left as Bonmati had a couple of steps before she connected with the ball, but Hampton was able to change direction quickly enough to dive and save Bonmati’s subsequent shot.
The final shot Hampton faced was from young up and coming star Salma Paralluelo, who provided a different factor to navigate for Hampton as she is left footed, whereas the previous three kick takers had all been right footers.
Hampton did choose the correct side to dive to, but it ultimately did not matter as Paralluelo skewed her shot too far and it sailed on out passed the outside of the goal post and the job was done for England.
Defying Expectations
What makes Hampton’s rise to where her football career is today even more remarkable is that it would never have happened if she had listened to what doctors told her as a kid.
Hampton was born with a condition called strabismus, which is also known as a squint and means that if she was looking at an object with one eye, her other eye would be looking in a completely different direction. The issue was so severe that by the time she was three, she had already had three operations to correct it, and even then it was not completely healed.
That was not all, as when she was doing a medical check up at Stoke City when she was 12, she was diagnosed with impaired depth perception. Hampton told the BBC: “I was told from a young age that I couldn’t play football, that it wouldn’t be a profession I could pursue. But here I am.”
Speaking about Hampton’s story following the final win, England head coach Sarina Wiegman said: “Every player has their one story and journey and hers has been incredible. Starting the tournament and losing the first game, there was so much riding on every game, we had five finals. She had to step up and I think she has been amazing. It’s a little bit like a fairytale to stop those two penalties in the final.”
Hampton returns to Chelsea with an international major tournament medal around her neck, which will join her WSL title medals and cup medals. She also returns as England’s undisputed – and heroic – number one.
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