Two years ago, Mary Earps was contemplating retirement. At 28, she was Manchester United’s first-choice goalkeeper but falling down the pecking order for England. Having sat on the bench for the 2019 World Cup, she didn’t even make Hege Riise’s Great Britain squad for the Tokyo Olympics. The starting spot went to Ellie Roebuck, aged just 21, supported by 23-year-old Sandy MacIver and 34-year-old Carly Telford, a late replacement for the injured Karen Bardsley.
Fast forward two years and Earps is widely recognised as the best goalkeeper on the planet, after her stellar performances at the 2023 World Cup. In October she came fifth in the Ballon d’Or, the highest position ever for a female goalkeeper. Weeks earlier, her Lionesses replica shirt sold out within hours. All told, it hasn’t been a bad year…
The rapid acceleration of Earps’ career is inextricably linked to the appointment of a
