It was less than two weeks after England’s triumph at Euro 2022 when the Ballon d’Or nominees were announced, and Lucy Bronze was not happy. The full-back was included on the list, alongside fellow Lionesses Millie Bright and Beth Mead, but she could not help but point out a particularly shocking omission.
"Thanks but I don't deserve this," Bronze wrote on Instagram. "The best Lionesses player during the Euros was Keira Walsh. Should be the first English name in the list!"
It was typical of Walsh’s role that she was overlooked, with her contributions as a deep-lying playmaker so often going unnoticed. But in the last year, it feels like that recognition has really started to be heaped onto a player who certainly deserves it.
A couple of months after the Euros ended, the 26-year-old became the most-expensive player in the history of women’s football as Barcelona, the 2021 European champions, saw it fit to pay a record-breaking fee for her talents.
Walsh has since lifted that Women’s Champions League trophy for the first time, as well as a couple of domestic honours, and is mixing it with some of the best midfielders in the world – all while still winning big praise for her own qualities. Indeed, Caroline Graham Hansen, one of her team-mates in Catalunya, said recently that Barca are “very lucky to have her”.
Off the back of a wonderful first season abroad, Walsh is now looking to deliver more success for England, and if the Lionesses do go on to back that European title up with a first ever Women’s World Cup triumph, there is no doubt that their talented midfield conductor will be key.
