'England is the reason I'm still playing football' - Ellie Roebuck opens up suffering stroke aged 24, overcoming doubts in her recovery and a 'shock' Lionesses recall

Roebuck suffered an infarct in her occipital lobe during the 2023-24 season which left her unable to play football or even work in the gym for around six months. It's a type of stroke caused by a clogged artery in the brain, which was linked to a minor heart defect. The goalkeeper later discovered she had a small hole in her heart after undergoing surgery, one which eventually closed up.

It ruled her out of the rest of that season for Manchester City and started a long road to recovery for the 11-time England international, who was part of the squad that won Euro 2022 and the one that reached the 2023 Women's World Cup final, the latter of which took place just a few months before Roebuck's diagnosis became clear.

“It was pretty mad, coming off the back of the World Cup and playing for one of the best clubs in the country," she said this week, speaking to England Football about the last two years after being recalled into the England squad. "Getting that news was really tough. You’re just thrusted into the unknown of what that looks like. Would I be able to play football again? Would I not?”

Roebuck would leave Man City at the end of the 2023-24 season and, despite everything she had been through, signed for Barcelona, who had just won their second Champions League title in three seasons. However, she was still battling her way back after time out of the game and the psychological impact of all that had unfolded.

“It was never-ending,” she said. “Even now there’s still moments where I think, 'I don’t know if it’s worth it or not', but that’s the mentality I’ve got to keep pushing. There’s been weeks where it’s tough, I can’t lie. It was more of a mental thing than anything which is probably why the move to Barcelona didn’t go so well because I just wasn’t mentally in the right capacity to be at a club competing at Champions League. The load was probably a bit too much, too soon, but it was a dream, so I wanted to give it my everything. There’s definitely been times, even that first year in Barca, I just never knew if I’d be able to reach the level again."

But there was one big driving force behind Roebuck's desire to keep playing and keep battling against those doubts and that was representing her country. “It’s why I play football, to be honest," she said. "You can speak about winning trophies and winning medals, but I think representing your country, with this group of girls as well, I’ve got some really special friends here, from the moment everything happened, it’s been my biggest priority.

"Whether it was possible or not, it’s the reason I’m probably still playing football, to play for my country. It’s the most important thing in my football career. It's top priority."

Now, Roebuck is back in the England set-up, included in Wiegman's squad for games against Ukraine and Iceland in March after enjoying a run of starts at Aston Villa, who she signed for back in the summer. The 26-year-old was included as an injury replacement back in November, so has been in the environment recently, but this is her first full call-up since October 2023, something which makes her incredibly proud, even if she was "shocked" when it happened. "I didn’t expect it," Roebuck admitted. "I was over the moon.

“I’d still say getting back to this camp is one of my biggest achievements, throughout all the medals and everything, because I know what it’s taken over the past two-and-a-half years and the drain it’s had on the people around me. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows every day.

“I don’t want to be treated any differently because of everything that’s happened. It’s about performance and I know that in itself speaks volumes, getting picked, because I know how focused Sarina is on performing well and being up to the standard of being in the squad, so for me, that’s probably the biggest compliment.”