Mary Earps is a footballing legend regardless of the World Cup final result – Man United News And Transfer News

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Twice the England Lionesses have fallen at the semi-final stage of the World Cup but this time they have gone one step further, making their first final.

These women, who have already made history no matter what happens today, and those who have come before them know what adversity means and how to overcome it, and it is this that makes them inspirations to the next generation.

From stories like Alex Scott’s, who alongside playing football for Arsenal and England, washed the men’s kit in order to make a living; to Leah Williamson who spoke of being targeted by other kids parents because a girl was beating them, the England Lionesses have had to really fight to be where they are today.

None more so than Manchester United goalkeeper, Mary Earps.

Earps joined Manchester United in 2019 from German side, Wolfsburg and there were times when the shot-stopper almost looked nervous between the sticks.

She was first out onto the pitch, turning round to applaud the fans before she got to work and she was last one to return to the dressing rooms after the final whistle blew.

In an interview with The Guardian back in 2021, Earps confirmed, “I’d like to think that people can tell that I have football running through me. I eat, sleep, breathe the game. I dream the game.”

Week in, week out, those on the terraces saw a marked improvement in her performances and her confidence grew with every save she made.

“Pretty much everything I do revolves around my football career: watching football, studying football, watching games back, training, thinking about how can I improve myself in any small way,” she remarked.

She was picked for Phil Neville’s 2019 World Cup squad but spent much of the tournament on the bench.

Not long after that, she was dropped by Neville. Ellie Roebuck, Carly Telford, Hannah Hampton and Sandy MacIver were all considered to be better prospects for an England side that was building but yet to taste glory in a major tournament.

Earps confidence was hit again and for a fleeting moment she considered retiring but sought advice from then United keeper David de Gea, who made her reconsider.

“I can vividly remember the days of feeling really down and I’d sort of reached my limits and given it a good go but I just wasn’t quite good enough. I had responsibilities, I had a mortgage and it wasn’t adding up,” she told the BBC earlier in the year.

When Sarina Wiegman took over managing England, she immediately understood Earps and was recalled to the squad, soon rising above everyone else and securing her spot as England’s number one.

Her spectacular saves throughout the Euros last year helped her country become champions, she become a hero amongst Lionesses supporters and a role model to young children all over the world.

Her smile, her passion, her dedication to her teammates and the fans… she made goalkeeping look cool for starters.

She captured the nation’s hearts and her impact was evident upon returning to her club, when a young boy held up a hand-made sign: “Some superheroes wear capes, mine wears gloves.”

Earps rewarded the youngster by inviting him onto the pitch after the next game, further inspiring the youngster who is probably still wearing that beaming smile.

The 30-year-old from Nottingham is a joker off the pitch and a leader on it and it was this, accompanied by her world class saves for both club and country, that secured her the award of FIFA Best Goalkeeper in February.

Her speech was a rallying cry to dreamers everywhere,´. “This is for anyone who has ever been in a dark place, just know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Keep going, you can achieve anything you set your mind to,” she said.

“Sometimes success looks like this, collecting trophies, sometimes it’s just waking up and putting one step in front of the other. There’s only one of you in the world, and that’s more than good enough. Be unapologetically yourself.”

It was a speech that brought tears to the eyes of the hardest of people and with just a few short words, she said so much about her own journey to success as well as inspiring those around her.

Though she may have seemed like a hero who had it all, she continued to push herself.

In the first ever women’s Finalissima this year against Brazil, Earps helped England lift a trophy once again but this time they did it the hard way via a penalty shootout.

Earps narrowly failed to save Brazil’s first penalty and in an interview afterwards she recalled, “In that moment, I’m thinking: ‘Is this going to be how my day is going to go? I’m going to be close, but not close enough?”

Earps went on to save Tamires’ strike as Rafaelle hit the bar, meaning that England were crowned victorious at Wembley once again.

In the run-up to the World Cup, with captain Millie Bright recovering from injury, Wiegman gave Earps the captaincy as the squad prepared for the tournament ahead with a couple of warm-up games.

Yet, back home a row had broken out. A replica of Earps’ shirt was nowhere to be found in stores since Nike had decided it wasn’t worth manufacturing any.

Earps even offered to pay for production herself but Nike wouldn’t change their minds.

“I can’t really sugar-coat this in any way, so I am not going to try. It is hugely disappointing and very hurtful,” she told reporters as she prepared out in Australia.

As the Lionesses progressed through the tournament, with Earps conceding just three goals and making some incredible saves along the way, 50,000 people signed a petition calling on Nike to reverse their decision.

Now, as the final and the end of the tournament is just hours away, Nike and the FA have announced a possible u-turn, though it seems too little, too late!

But it shows the journey Earps has been on and just what an inspiration she has been to so many, to force the hand of one of the biggest companies in the world, that has been around since 1964.

Regardless of today’s result, Mary Earps is a true champion who continues to inspire both boys and girls all around the world by the way she conducts herself both on and off the pitch.

The BBC reported that these Lionesses are 90 minutes away from becoming footballing legends, but it’s easy to argue that a number of them have already secured that status: particularly easy in the case of Mary Earps.