Hampton Voted Bbc Women's Footballer Of The Year

Chelsea and England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has been voted BBC Women's Footballer of nan Year 2025 aft a stand-out 12 months for nine and country.

Hampton helped Chelsea triumph a home treble past season, keeping 13 cleanable sheets successful 22 Women's Super League games.

And aft becoming England's first prime goalkeeper, nan 25-year-old saved 2 penalties successful a shootout successful nan last against Spain, arsenic nan Lionesses won Euro 2025.

England team-mate Alessia Russo vanished 2nd and Spain's Aitana Bonmati was 3rd successful nan nationalist vote.

Spain duo Patri Guijarro and Mariona Caldentey were besides contenders chosen by a sheet of experts, including coaches, players, administrators and journalists, based connected performances complete 12 months from September 2024 to August 2025.

"I decidedly didn't expect it pinch each nan different players nominated," Hampton told BBC Sport.

"I deliberation they've each had unbelievable years."

Hampton is only nan 2nd goalkeeper to triumph nan grant aft erstwhile England workfellow Earps did truthful successful 2023.

Hampton recovered herself successful nan mediate of a media large wind past period erstwhile Earps - who retired from world shot aft losing nan England number 1 garment to Hampton - made claims astir her successful her autobiography.

Earps said that Lionesses leader Sarina Wiegman rewarded "bad behaviour" by recalling Hampton to nan squad successful 2023, claiming Hampton had been dropped for being "disruptive and unreliable".

When asked astir nan scrutiny she has faced successful nan past fewer weeks, Hampton said: "People are entitled to their opinions. People tin opportunity immoderate they want to say. It's down to myself whether I want to fto that impact me. I decidedly cognize it's not going to.

"I'm not going to beryllium present and sound group for what they person to say, that's their life, that's their judgement. I'm conscionable going to attraction connected myself, that's each I tin do.

"I want to execute a batch much successful nan crippled and I can't dwell connected people's thoughts. That's going to inhibit me, not thief me."

The Lionesses won 2 punishment shootouts connected their measurement to defending their European crown successful Switzerland, and Hampton's contributions were key.

After England came backmost from 2-0 down to tie 2-2 pinch Sweden successful nan quarter-finals, she saved 2 spot-kicks successful a marathon 3-2 shootout victory.

And successful nan last against Spain, which ended 1-1, Hampton denied some Caldentey and Bonmati from nan punishment spot arsenic the Lionesses triumphed 3-1.

"It was my measurement of giving backmost to nan team. They've tally astir for nan 120 minutes to make it spell that acold and they've helped take sides heroically successful moments that we've needed it passim nan game," Hampton said.

"It was my infinitesimal to beryllium like, this is what I tin do for you guys and thief america execute nan dream that we wanted to execute from nan infinitesimal we group retired successful nan Euros campaign.

"To put connected an England badge is simply a typical and proud moment. You ne'er return it for granted."

After replacing Earps, Hampton overcame nan tremendous weight of unit and anticipation to thief England take sides their European crown successful Switzerland.

"I knew that if England sewage knocked retired earlier, location would person been a batch much spotlight connected me," she said.

"I conscionable thought, you cognize what, conscionable spell and bask your football. I've ever said I execute amended erstwhile I bask it."

To compound matters, Hampton learned of nan decease of her grandfather conscionable 2 days earlier nan tourney began.

"When I past sewage nan news astir my grandad, that gave maine that other push to spell and show everyone what I tin do because that was our dream together," she said.

"I deliberation group hide that we are conscionable quality beings. We each person feelings, we each person our ain struggles that we're going done extracurricular of football, extracurricular of nan shot pitch.

"You conscionable person to attraction connected yourself and support yourself going. As difficult arsenic it is, particularly for maine coming to position pinch losing a comparative who you emotion dearly and you're very adjacent to, having not afloat grieved.

"You've past sewage each nan different worldly that's piled connected top. It doesn't ever help."

It's been a twelvemonth of highs and lows, but Hampton is grateful for nan activity of her predecessors successful raising nan floor plan of female goalkeepers.

"It still doesn't rather descend successful that group telephone you England number one," Hampton said.

"It's a lonely position, but it's besides very rewarding. You could beryllium nan leader astatine moments and you could besides beryllium nan villain astatine moments.

"The keepers earlier maine Carly [Telford], Karen [Bardsley], Mary [Earps], moreover earlier that, they've changed nan cognition of women's goalkeeping.

"I'm conscionable different assemblage successful that that's evidently helped alteration nan measurement on pinch Khiara [Keating] and Anna [Moorhouse] astatine nan moment.

"Women's goalkeeping has decidedly taken off, we're trying to alteration perceptions slow but surely."