Hannah Hampton: Defying the odds to become England’s hero | OneFootball

Doctors told Hannah Hampton that she couldn’t be a professional footballer. Now, she’s cementing herself as England’s number one.

“I was told from a young age that I couldn’t play football, that it wouldn’t be a profession I could pursue. But here I am,” the goalkeeper said.

Hampton has an eye condition called strabismus, where the eyes don’t look in the same direction as each other. As a child, Hampton had multiple operations to try and correct it, none of which were largely successful. Doctors have told her that she has the option of having surgery again today, although she doesn’t feel the need.

Learning to adapt

Hampton also has a lack of depth perception, meaning that she’s unable to tell how far away something is from another. In her own words: “I basically have no depth perception, so I can’t judge any distances,” she told Ben Foster’s Fozcast.

“When pouring a glass of water, I’ll miss the glass if I’m not holding it. The girls do it to me all the time at training: ‘Can you make me a cup of tea?’ And hold the cup, saying, ‘Can I have some milk, please?’ I’ll just spill it on their shoes, and then they moan at me. ‘Well, it’s your own fault, isn’t it?'”

On the pitch though, that’s another story. Hampton’s parents were repeatedly told about the jobs she couldn’t do, including being a professional athlete. Sport was out of the question.

However, you only have to look at Chelsea’s unbeaten record in the Women’s Super League Season last season to know Hampton has proved those people wrong. The Blues earned themselves yet another title, something the goalkeeper was a key part of.

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Silverware aside, the rise to becoming one of the world’s best goalkeepers was never set to happen for Hampton.

Yet, here she is, exuberating confidence, skill and talent with the ball at her feet. It’s a remarkable story, one that was meant to happen.

Becoming England’s hero

You’d be forgiven for asking yourself how Hannah Hampton became a goalkeeper.

If you’re looking for an answer, saving crucial penalties in England’s dramatic quarter-final match against Sweden is a pretty good one. Blood, sweat, tears and saves that helped the Lionesses claim their spot in the semi-finals of the 2025 Women’s Euros.

Even Hampton herself says she doesn’t know how she’s a goalkeeper. For her, it just works.

It’s taken a lot of practice, with many nosebleeds and a few broken fingers along the way. She’s found her way, and it sure works.

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Hampton made her way through the England ranks and is now a prominent figure between the sticks in women’s football. Yet, she didn’t speak publicly about her eye condition until 2021.

She made the decision to do so because she hoped her experiences could be a positive story for others. And what a story it is.

“It was always my passion to do sport, and it was my dream. I’ve always told the younger generation that if you can’t follow your own dreams, what are you going to do in life? You’ve got to follow your dreams and, sat here right now, I can say that I’ve done that,” the shot-stopper told the BBC.

Hampton is well and truly England’s hero both on and off the pitch.

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