At club level, she’s won the lot: the Women's Super League, FA Women's Cup and Continental Cup with Manchester City; the Division 1 Feminine title, French Cup, French Super Cup and Women’s Champions League with Lyon.

She’s conquered two countries and a whole continent. It’s incredible, then, that her journey started with Everton manager Mo Marley struggling to get her out of Toxteth, an inner-city area of Liverpool.

When Parris recalled her journey on the Players’ Tribune, she remembered the first time Marley went down to watch her play. Afterwards, her mum said that Marley wanted her to play at a festival as part of Everton’s Centre of Excellence. Parris, a childhood Liverpool fan, wasn’t very keen, to say the least. But she describes the main reason for not wanting to go as: “I didn’t want to go into the unknown. Toxteth was my sanctuary.”

“We could never get her to come to this particular tournament,” Marley recalls to GOAL. “We kept an eye on her and then she turned up for Centre of Excellence trials aged 12, I think it was.

“But we were quite happy actually, because we knew the environment that she was involved in, it had a history of developing really good, grounded players.

“I think it's known that she just loved that environment she was in. It was close to home. I think her neighbour was one of the coaches. Her family played. To separate a youngster from that, it's a big decision, isn't it? We're just glad she came when she did.”

Parris would work her way up through the youth ranks, constantly making a good impression with her character – someone who wanted to learn, would ask plenty of questions and take plenty of notes, but someone who wanted to have fun too.

Marley recalls moments when Parris would remember “three or four years of coaching reference points” and connect them together in one moment to learn a lesson from a game.

“She's just engaging and she always was, even at such a young age,” she remembers. “She's got a lot of personality about her, just her communication - you'll still see that today. She's got that high pitched communication process where you can't not hear her!”

“She wears her heart on her sleeve and she's horrible for that when you play against her, because she can intimidate opposition,” Williams adds. “She's certainly passionate about everything she does and when she scores, her celebrations get under your skin.

“That's why as a player, I loved being on her team rather than against her. I remember playing against Everton, for Liverpool, and she scored. She runs past you and celebrates.

“Honestly, there were times I wanted to trip her up or boot her as she's going past. But that's what Nikita brings and that's why I love Keets so much.

“I always feel with players, your character and your personality is a big part of your game. I feel like she's just got that infectious personality. She has that passion and fight and desire.”

Those characteristics – paired with a huge amount of respect – have helped propel her on to enjoy the trophy-laden career she’s had to date.

When she broke into Everton’s first team and the WSL, she’d still drop into the development league too, “to get better, to play”.

“Her and her family, obviously, they didn't enjoy it and that is understandable, but they did that across two to three seasons,” Marley explains. “Now, that tells me a lot about the family and the player, about understanding how you're going to get better, and understanding that to achieve, hard work is critical. I think that says a lot about her, accepting that and doing that.

“Ultimately, I think it's held her in good stead long term, because she understands how far she's come and the challenges that she had.”

Parris played four seasons in the WSL with Everton, the last ending in relegation. However, the young forward would not play second-tier football. In came Manchester City, picking her up after her six goals in 13 appearances accounted for 60 percent of the Toffees’ goals that season.

Going full-time would only aid her development. She refined her finishing ability, scoring 46 goals in 90 games for City. In her final season, she netted 19 times in as many WSL appearances. It’s no wonder Lyon, a club that had won each of the last four Champions League titles, was interested.

Speaking to GOAL when she was in France, Parris believed she “adopted” the team’s winning mentality “quite fast, because of the player I am and the ambition I have”.

Other transitions were not so easy. The forward remembered times she’d ring her mother and tell her she needed to come home.

“My mum always said to me: ‘Stop questioning yourself. You were built for this. You were made to be a part of that squad. God has put you on the right path and it’s the path he wants you to go on, so just trust in your own instincts, trust in your ability and it’ll come to fruition’. And it did.”

Parris scored 31 goals in 47 games for Lyon across two seasons. She won four trophies. Then, last summer, a new chapter beckoned: Arsenal.

It’s fitting that Parris’ career would eventually take her to the Gunners. She has recalled how excited she’d get to watch the FA Women’s Cup final every year as a child, one of few women’s games you could find on television. 

Arsenal would almost always make it there and so, one of Parris’ idols growing up was their Scottish forward, Julie Fleeting. She’d run inside from playing out on the grass near her home in Toxteth to watch her light up the big occasion.

Today, Parris is huge on giving back to the area she grew up in and beyond. In 2018, she launched the 'NP17 Academy', which aims to guide and offer better chances to girls from deprived areas. It’s not the only way she does her bit.

“She's now sending the same messages that she was given when she was a little bit younger,” Marley says. “All the coaches in all of the youth [national] teams are keen to bring Nikita in, because of how she can relate to the younger players.

“She's now [sending those messages] when she comes back to the under-19s, when she goes back and does community projects - and she's the first there. I've never known her to refuse to do anything. She's the first there. I think that's quite unique.”

For all Parris has achieved, there is still that connection to her roots. There’s also still a burning desire to achieve more.

The 27-year-old might’ve won a lot at club level, but she’s desperate to add an international title. England will host the Euros this summer - could that be the trophy they finally bring home? 

This month’s Arnold Clark Cup, where the Lionesses face elite opposition in Canada, Germany and Spain, will be a great opportunity to assess their credentials.

It will be a difficult tournament to predict, just like this summer’s, but one thing is certain – Parris will give her all and more to try to get England over the line. 

She’ll probably try to wind up a few people while she’s at it, too.

Tickets to watch England, Germany, Spain and Canada play in the Arnold Clark Cup are available now.

Matches are being broadcast live in the UK on ITV.