Hannah Hampton: From serious eye condition to England goalkeeper

Born with a serious eye condition, England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was told by doctors she should not play football.The 24-year-old has had multiple operations to try and correct her vision but it is not perfect and she still has depth perception issues.It is remarkable she has defied the odds and is now heading to Euro 2025 as England's number one."I've always gone through life trying to prove people wrong," Hampton said."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."Hampton has been used to setbacks and her career has been far from smooth.She was dropped by England months after being part of the winning Euro 2022 squad.She was forced to prove herself again and has bounced back and risen to the top. This is the story of her journey.
'She was born to be a footballer'
When Carla Ward arrived at Birmingham City as their new manager in 2020 she had already heard about teenager Hampton."We spoke on the first day. I wanted to know where she wanted to be," Ward told BBC Sport. "She was an endearing character, as well as being a livewire, like most goalkeepers. But she articulated things in a way that was far more mature than her age. "It was on day two that I really saw what everyone was talking about. She was one of the most talented individuals I've ever worked with. "Everyone has different talents but she was born to be a footballer."Hampton broke into the first team at the age of 16 after switching positions from a striker to a goalkeeper, and was well known in England's youth team set-ups.Her international manager at the time, Rehanne Skinner, had seen her talent up close."She played with both feet. There are very few people in the game who can play off their weaker foot and hit it 60 yards with pinpoint accuracy," said Skinner.During an England Under-19s game against Sweden, Skinner instructed Hampton to do one thing - hit it long."Hannah got an assist within the first 10 minutes of the game. We won 4-0. Not a lot of goalkeepers have those tools," said Skinner."As time has gone on, with maturity, being in the right settings and doing a lot of work behind the scenes, she has grown and put her attention into using those strengths to the best of her ability."Ask anyone about Hampton and they all say the same thing - that she is technically gifted and excellent with the ball at her feet. Former Birmingham and England team-mate Ellen White said Hampton would get involved in 'rondos', external in training and playing outfield "wasn't alien" to her.But when Hampton revealed the extent of her eye condition - called strabismus - in the media, White admitted it was "probably a shock to a lot of people"."She probably has to adapt a bit to combat it, but you wouldn't ever know if you saw her training. She is crazy and would throw herself at anything," added White."Her passing range is second to none, the way she moves and dives, and controls the ball. She's up there as one of the most exciting young goalkeepers in world football. "Maybe she helped influence other people who thought they couldn't be a goalkeeper."
'I've proven people wrong'
Like all young players thrust into the limelight, White admitted Hampton was a "little immature" when they first played together at Birmingham."Her emotions would take hold of her a lot, which they would do for any 16-year-old, and it was about dealing with the ups and downs."You won't save a goal every time. Managing her emotions needed time, experience and understanding. "I tried to take her under my wing a little bit and give her that guidance. I felt at that time she would be a very good goalkeeper but she needed some help."Hampton rose through England's ranks, making her senior debut against future world champions Spain in 2022. She made the squad for Euro 2022 but months after celebrating victory - often seen dancing with White during laps of honour - her career hit a stumbling block. Reports suggested she was dropped from the England squad because of her behaviour and she had to wait until March 2023 for a recall, when manager Sarina Wiegman said Hampton had "sorted out personal issues".Speaking about that time, Hampton said the stories were "hurtful" and she revealed on the Fozcast podcast, external recently that she had considered quitting football."I was a very young girl when all the stories came out and you're not really prepared for that. You don't expect it," she told reporters on Tuesday. "There have been moments when everyone [in the squad] has probably thought they were in a tough position, but you get each other out of it."You can't let all the media scrutiny win. If you do that it just adds fuel to the fire and I wasn't willing to accept that. "I wanted to show who I am as a person and show that wasn't always true. I thought 'just dig in'. I think I can say that I've proven people wrong."Ward managed Hampton at Aston Villa at the time, having brought her with her from Birmingham.She fielded questions about Hampton's situation in news conferences and left the goalkeeper out of the squad against Chelsea for the "best interests" of the team."We had an aligned agreement between Sarina, myself and Hannah on how we would help her with it," said Ward, reflecting on the time. "It was a difficult time for Hannah but it was probably a moment that really helped her. It was the moment she realised she had good support around her. "She was a young kid that just really needed support."White, who captained England for Hampton's debut, retired from international football just before she was dropped from the squad.But White believed Hampton "just needed time" to mature and felt she did that under former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes when she joined them in 2023. Having "an arm around her shoulders" helped, said White, as well as the drive to become Chelsea's number one and get another shot on the international stage."It's obviously not ideal not being selected for England. A lot of things transpired. Fair play to her because she did just get her head down and work hard," said White."She just had to rebuild some of those relationships and gain them back in the England squad. I feel like she let her football do the talking."Everyone goes through ups and downs, rollercoaster emotions and going in and out of the squads. I am really proud of her. I'm excited to see her at the Euros."
'Filling the gloves' of Earps at the Euros
Ward and Hampton remain in close contact. The goalkeeper phones during Ward's interview with BBC Sport, asking what name her daughter wants on the back of a new England shirt in time for Euro 2025."It doesn't surprise me how well she has done. I always knew she would be England's number one and I think she's one of the best I have ever seen," said Ward after confirming her daughter wants 'Hampton' printed on the back of her shirt.Hampton's confidence appears to have grown immensely this year after playing a key role in helping Chelsea claim an unbeaten domestic Treble.Reflecting on her journey, she said: "It has been a bit of a whirlwind. Did I think, when I was a young girl, I'd be sitting here right now in the position I am? Absolutely not."But I am proud and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead. I think it's going to be a summer of very exciting football."Hampton hopes to "fill the gloves" of previous England goalkeepers, including Mary Earps, who announced her shock retirement last month.Earps is a two-time Fifa Best Goalkeeper award winner and played significant roles in England's victory at Euro 2022 and en route to the 2023 World Cup final.White admits she "feels sad" that Hampton will not be able to tap into Earps' experience during the tournament and there is now even more scrutiny on the goalkeeping spot."It would have just been nice to have someone to be there for her and pass on that experience," said White. "She just needs to have a good first game - that is what I want for her. It won't be easy against France because their frontline is outrageous."She needs to do the simple things and not do anything different. If she makes a slight mistake, I hope that doesn't affect her and she can move forward. "Everyone is human; everyone makes mistakes and that's fine. It's just the scrutiny will be so much more now."But Hampton appears at ease. She said she is enjoying training with uncapped goalkeepers Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse - and she is ready."We're just there to get around one another," she added. "We know whoever's on the pitch is going to be putting in 100% and doing a very good job for England."
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