How Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Man Utd & Lionesses star Ella Toone to make history with her own brand

The Lionesses star currently plays her club football at Manchester United – with Portuguese superstar Ronaldo having taken in two spells at Old Trafford during his remarkable career. Toone is looking to tread a similar path to CR7 on and off the field, with history made by the 24-year-old when launching her ET7 brand.

Toone has told the Daily Mail of that venture: "I’ve always wanted to have my own brand and academy. My idol was Cristiano Ronaldo and his brand is CR7. I wore every boot that he brought out. I remember sitting at the table and drawing out Cristiano Ronaldo’s logo and hopefully little girls are sat at the table drawing out the ET7 logo. It’s nice to try and use my platform as best as I can to inspire young girls and boys. The academy side of things is something that I hold really close to my heart.

"I really like giving back to the grassroots and where I started and making sure that young girls and boys have opportunities to start their journey. I think the main aim for me is hoping that one day someone who comes to my academy goes on to make it to playing in the WSL or to achieving their dreams. Especially someone from my area would always be nice as well. It’s a small area, not a lot of things happen in Tyldesley. For me to try and be a role model and play a part in another player’s journey would be really special to me."

The launch of ET7 follows on from Toone creating her own YouTube channel in 2022, with episodes seeing her chat with international team-mate Alessia Russo while also trying to navigate London’s Underground system. She added: “I always moan when I’m on the tube. They [her team] know I don’t like it, that’s why they keep putting me on it. I’ve not been [to London] for months cause I know they’re gonna put me on the tube. I feel like I’m really connected to my audience. One of the reasons I started the YouTube channel was to make sure that I could connect with fans in a different way and really show them an insight into my life away from football as well. Crowds are growing now so it’s difficult to get round to everyone but we do try our best as players to interact but it’s a lot more difficult now.”

Toone is currently looking to keep United in contention for WSL title glory in 2023-24, with the Red Devils sat fourth in the table at present – four points adrift of leaders and defending champions Chelsea. Marc Skinner's side host Liverpool on Sunday.