When Manchester City defender Esme Morgan was at the Etihad celebrating Sergio Aguero’s iconic Premier League-winning goal in 2012, she probably thought things couldn’t get any better.
Brought up by parents who tell the story that ‘City’ was one of her first words, she believes she’ll “probably not reach that high again”.
That's not to say the 20-year-old hasn't had plenty of reasons to celebrate in her own career, though.
This season alone, she has lifted the Women’s FA Cup, made her Champions League debut and even earned her first England call-up.
Discussing some of those moments, her roots are evident as she eagerly brings up February's Women’s Super League victory over rivals Manchester United, which served as City’s biggest statement yet in this year's title race.
“It typified the performance levels that we've had since Christmas, being really dominant and clinical going forwards,” she tells Goal.
The mention of her first opportunity with England’s senior team, meanwhile, has the youngster oozing humility.
“It didn't come into my mind that a senior call-up was even a possibility because it always seemed so far away for me,” she explains. “I just never thought I was ready or capable of being in that environment.”
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It was September when City head coach Gareth Taylor pulled Morgan to one side and asked her what a successful season would look like to her, teasing the news.
“I was like, 'Starting every game.' But he said, 'That's a good target, but think bigger than that.' I was not coming out with the responses that he wanted!" she recalls.
“Eventually, I was like, 'Well, it'd be cool to be picked for the seniors', and he said, ‘You've done it!' It was a cool moment and he probably thought, 'That was harder work than I expected it to be!'
"But it definitely came as a shock. I asked him a few times as if he was taking the mick out of me, but it would have been a bit cruel of him to joke about something like that!”
The call-up was confirmation of Morgan's growth and development, aided by a loan spell last term at Everton, City's visitors on Sunday.
“It's one of the best decisions I've made in my short career so far, to go there,” she reflects.
“The coaches were really helpful in trying to [achieve] individual development as well as results as a team, which was great for what I wanted to get out of my year there."
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After starting all but three league games, she returned to her parent club to bolster a large and talented group of promising English players. City, like Everton, is a club where they are trusted and can thrive.
“[Taylor] often tells me how much belief he's got in me and it's really nice to hear that,” Morgan says.
“It gives [me] a lot of confidence going into games, knowing he trusts me to do a job and to step in in big games. I'm grateful for the opportunities he has given me.”
In those opportunities, Morgan has shone. She started at Wembley in August in the first Women’s Community Shield game since 2008 and put in a performance beyond her years. It's no coincidence that her maiden England call-up followed a week later.
Since then, she has provided stern competition at right-back for summer signing Lucy Bronze, who won three Champions League titles in three years at Lyon, but has also been a reliable option across the entire defence.
Her Champions League debut in November came on the left-hand side, which brought with it some nerves: "I was just hoping that my left foot was having one of its good days!"
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There have also been instances where Morgan has filled in at centre-back. It's a job that has partnered her with City and England captain Steph Houghton, who was one of her idols growing up.
“The first moment that women's football caught my attention was the London 2012 Olympics,” she remembers.
“Steph was a bit of a star in that tournament, so she was someone who I really looked up to because she was one of the first women's footballers I'd come across.”
In years gone by, Morgan might have just been "happy to be here", as she puts it. But, almost four years on from her senior debut with the club she loves, a change in attitude is helping her to firmly establish herself among the household names and world-class talent.
"The expectations have changed a lot and I certainly hold myself to a much higher standard," she says. “I want to challenge and push on and be an important part of the team."
The elation Morgan enjoyed from Aguero's strike might be unrivalled for now, but at the rate her career is going, and with City targeting European glory, it could yet be eclipsed.
