‘Can’t be arsed with that’ - Why Lionesses hero Chloe Kelly ditched superstitions as England & Arsenal star reacts to equal pay debate in women’s game

The Arsenal and England star, who helped her country to successfully defend their European Championship title on Swiss soil over the summer, has become a household name courtesy of her match-winning performances on the grandest of stages.

The 27-year-old remains a humble character, though, and is happiest when surrounded by her friends, family and beloved dogs. She has a picture from her wedding day and pet pooches printed on the shin pads that she dons when taking to the field.

Quizzed by The Sunday Times on whether those accessories are now part of a pre-match tradition, Kelly said: “No, after my [knee] injury I moved away from superstitions because I realised they don’t mean anything. I still put my left boot on first, left everything first, then right. But you’ll see in this tournament I wore four different hairstyles, whereas in the past I’d always make sure I had my headband and my hair in a certain way. I can’t be arsed with that any more.”

Kelly is focused on being the best that she can be on the field, while helping to advance the women’s game. She is, however, reluctant to be dragged into debates that she considers to miss the point.

The Gunners forward added on one long-running discussion: “It’s just football, it’s not men’s football, it’s not women’s football. Women can’t be men, so we’re never going to play men’s football. We are our own game. I don’t think equal pay is what we chase. We want equal access for young girls lower down the leagues and better standards in our sport. Pay is not everything to us because there was a time when women couldn’t play the sport at all. If we chase pay, we’ll probably lose the love for the game.”

Kelly is loving life right now, with a Champions League victory with Arsenal carrying her into a second Euros triumph with England. She is tied to a permanent contract in north London having initially returned to her roots from Manchester City in January on a loan agreement.