Mary Earps exclusive: Lionesses icon on watching England's Euro 2025 triumph from the outside, returning to Man Utd in the Champions League and trying to dethrone Lyon with PSG

Earps had plenty of practice in that sense in her first season at PSG. The club suffered what she describes as a “gut-wrenching” Champions League qualifying exit, recovered to reach a French Cup final and the title-deciding game in the Premiere Ligue play-offs, but then ended the season with defeats in both matches as head coach Fabrice Abriel left his post.

That all came while Earps had plenty of settling in to do off the pitch, living in a bigger city than ever before and learning a new language, and while she was constantly under the microscope at England level, due to the battle with Hannah Hampton to be the Lionesses’ No.1. “It’s definitely been a lot, to say the least,” she says.

“I think it's also the price of success sometimes, being under the microscope. I've had to learn that over the last couple of years, since we won the Euros in 2022, then after the World Cup and [being named] Sports Personality [of the Year]. I try to just take it in my stride as best I can. It's not always easy, it's not always sunshine and rainbows, but I think all you can do is be grateful. Be grateful that that's on your shoulders, see that pressure as a privilege and take it as a compliment.”

That attention was particularly big back in May, when Earps shocked everyone by calling time on her England career. After being one of the Lionesses’ biggest stars during their Euro 2022 triumph and the run to the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, she watched Sarina Wiegman’s side retain their continental crown in July as a fan - quite literally, after flying to Switzerland for some of the tournament.

“I didn't know how I was going to feel until I got there,” she says. “I hoped that I'd feel all right because it definitely wasn't an easy decision to make. I think it was nice for me to go. I wanted to go and show up in person. That was really important to me.

“I was sitting with Tooney's boyfriend, Joe, and we were just hanging out and it was just dead nice. I felt proud watching. I felt like this was how it was meant to be. I guess when you're at peace with your decision… I think it was reaffirming in a way, that I knew I could go and there weren’t all these mad emotions. And it was nice that I could see them afterwards, just briefly before I had to hop on a flight back and get back into pre-season.

“I think it's brilliant that they've won and what they continue to do for women's football. [Euro] 2022 massively changed the game for women's football in England and I think another win just cements that. It improves the situation and the conditions for future generations to come through and that's something I'm hugely passionate about. I really enjoyed watching them and watching my friends win. I feel immense pride.”

Earps’ full focus from here on out is on PSG then, as they look to bounce back from the disappointments of last season. They were dealt some blows in the transfer market, losing Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Korbin Albert to bitter rivals Lyon while captain Grace Geyoro became the most expensive women’s player of all-time when she signed for London City Lionesses. But there was some good recruitment, too, with Olga Carmona, the Real Madrid and Spain star, and Rasheedat Ajibade, named Player of the Tournament as Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations in the summer, joining a squad now headed up by Paulo Cesar, formerly the coach of the Under-19s.

“Change of players, change of formation, change of coach, there's been a lot of change,” Earps notes, “but we're all focused on the same goal. I think the team that we've got, we've got a good spirit, a good togetherness. We've started the season okay but we're nowhere near the level that we could reach. That’s exciting. We're still a new team coming together and there's a long way that we can go.”

PSG have the benefit of time when it comes to the Premiere Ligue, which has recently changed to adopt a play-off format at the end of the season to crown the champion. It means as long as the Parisians finish in the top four, they have a shot at dethroning a Lyon side that has won 18 of the last 19 titles. “They're an incredible team,” Earps says. “Lyon are always trying to reinvent themselves. You can see the way that they've invested this year, the players they've signed, the resources they put into their team. It's great that Lyon continue to do that for their women's side but it just puts more fire in my belly that I want to go toe-to-toe with these giants.”

Time isn't on PSG's side as much when it comes to the Champions League, however, which begins its league phase on Tuesday. Earps admits that herself. "So it's not a case of just keep building, keep building," she adds. "We've obviously got to perform and get results.” The Parisians will start against another of Earps’ former clubs, Wolfsburg. The former England goalkeeper enjoyed her first overseas spell with the two-time winners, in the 2018-19 season, something she fondly recalls as "an incredible point in my career" that "taught me a lot".

It doesn’t get much easier, either. Real Madrid are second on their list and Bayern Munich are fourth, after that trip to Old Trafford. “I never really got an opportunity to say goodbye, so I'm looking forward to it,” Earps says of her return to Manchester. “I think the pressure of playing for Man Utd helped prepare me for the pressure that you feel at PSG as well. They are both really big clubs and they actually have a lot of similarities. I think that they've both got really passionate fan bases who naturally want the best for their club and take a really big interest and pride in the success of the team.

“Ultimately, I hope it's an incredible game between two great teams at an incredible stadium on a great night in the Champions League. What more can you want? Those are the games that you live for.”

The goalkeeper that Man Utd welcome back may well look a little different to the one they remember, too. That’s because as Earps talks through all the changes from Manchester to Paris, she notes so many small things that have required adjustments, with her having to work on “different attributes” as part of her new team. “There's a lot of different technical and tactical elements that I feel I've been able to add to my game,” she says.

Fortunately, Earps loves the details. It’s never more apparent than when she’s discussing her participation in the Fantasy Premier League’s ‘Beat the Icon’ campaign with Coca Cola. Alongside the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Alex Scott, Earps has set a custom FPL challenge, with hers centred around double points for clean sheets from goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders. There are tons of prizes up for grabs for participants who score big.

“I love studying goalkeeping and seeing how different teams play and what their tactics are and how people break teams down, but most importantly, how they defend. I've got a real interest in that,” she explains. David Raya is her pick in between the sticks for her challenge, which is live this weekend, but Earps is keen to rave about so many other shot-stoppers in the division. “Alisson is my favourite,” she adds. “I also like watching [Gianluigi] Donnarumma. His style is completely different and I think that him going to Man City was also a really unexpected choice, but he's an absolute monster and he makes saves that you would not believe.

“I like watching loads of different goalkeepers for different reasons. I think that I just like seeing how people do it. They've got different strengths, they've got different profiles, so how do they assert themselves on games? And I think the demands of the game are changing all the time, so it's really interesting to see how people adapt and I love how certain goalkeepers fit certain styles of play, but that just totally wouldn't work in another team. I really enjoyed geeking out at that.”

It's that attention to detail that Earps will hope benefits her and PSG this season. With no England fixtures on her calendar, there’s extra time to work on things, as well as chances to switch off in what looks set to be a demanding season.

“The intention is to mentally and physically be in the best space that I can possibly be in and resting in the international breaks gives me an opportunity to take care of my mind and my body a little bit more,” Earps says. “My career is not going to last forever and it's really important that I take care of myself and I keep going after all these one percents to continue to play at the highest level I can for as long as possible, but also prolong my career as long as possible. That definitely comes into it.

“But I also know what I'm like. I've got a lot of passion projects that I always kind of keep on the fire. I know that as much as I say mentally and physically, I'm going to rest, I know I'm going to end up diving into things and filling my time to try and leave the game in a better place and leave a legacy. That's something I'm constantly doing all the time, every day.”