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Hannah Hampton, a Chelsea and England goalkeeper, has been chosen as the 2025 BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year after a stellar year for both the club and country.

Hampton kept 13 clean sheets in 22 Women’s Super League games to help Chelsea achieve a domestic treble last season.

The 25-year-old saved two penalties in a shootout against Spain, helping the Lionesses win Euro 2025, after becoming England’s first choice goalkeeper.

In the public vote, Aitana Bonmati from Spain came in third place while Alessia Russo from England came in second.

A panel of experts, including coaches, players, administrators, and journalists, chose the Spain duo Patri Guijarro and Mariona Caldentey based on their accomplishments over the course of the 12-month period September 2024 to August 2025.

With the other players being nominated, Hampton assuredly didn’t anticipate it, according to Hampton.

“I believe they have all had incredibly long lives.”

Earps claimed that Sarina Wiegman, the manager of Lionesses, honored “bad behavior” by recalling Hampton to the squad in 2023, alleging that he had been fired because of his “unreliable and disruptive behavior.”

When Hampton was questioned about the scrutiny she has encountered recently, she responded, “People are entitled to their opinions. People have the freedom to say anything. I must decide whether I let that affect me. I am certain that it won’t be.

I won’t stand by someone and criticize them for what they have to say because they are judging themselves based on their own judgment. All I can do is to concentrate on myself, that is all I can do.

Hampton’s contributions were crucial as the Lionesses defended their European crown in Switzerland by winning two penalty shootouts.

She saved two spot kicks in a marathon 3-2 shootout victory over Sweden after coming back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with them in the quarter-finals.

Hampton denied both Caldentey and Bonmati from the penalty spot as the Lionesses won 3-1 in the final game between Spain and 1-1.

“It was a way for me to support the team,” I said. They have fought hard for the entire 120 minutes to get that far, and they have defended bravely throughout the entire game, Hampton said.

“It was my moment to be like, and I can do this for you guys to help us realize our goal from the beginning of the Euros campaign.”

In Switzerland, Hampton overcame the enormous pressure and expectation to help England defend their European crown.

She said, “I was aware that if England had been knocked out sooner, there would have been a lot more attention on me.”

I simply sat there and said, “I just thought, you know what,” “I’ll just enjoy your football.” I’ve always said that when I enjoy it, I perform better.

Hampton only learned of her grandfather’s passing two days before the tournament started, which makes matters even more complicated.

She said, “When I first learned about my grandad, it gave me that extra push to go out and show everyone what I can do because that was our dream together.”

“I believe that people disregard our humanity. Outside of the field of football, outside of the field of play, we all experience feelings and struggles.

“You just need to keep going and keep on focusing on yourself.” Even though it’s difficult, especially for me to accept losing a loved one I love dearly and cares about a lot, despite not having fully grieved.

You then have the piles of other things on top. It isn’t always helpful.

Hampton is appreciative of the contributions of her predecessors in elevating the profile of female goalkeepers despite the year having had both highs and lows.

“It still doesn’t seem to sink in that people call you England number one,” Hampton said.

It’s a lonely position, but it’s also very rewarding. At times, you could play both the villain and the hero.

Before that, Carly [Telford], Karen [Bardsley], Mary [Earps], they had completely altered the perception of women’s goalkeeping.

I’m just another body because, in the present, Anna [Moorhouse] and Khiara [Keating] have obviously contributed to the change.

We are once more enthralled over Zak Crawley’s selection for England’s Test squad.

A debate that never really ended was brought back by ducks in each of the first Test’s innings in Perth.

Can England continue to select a batter with the lowest ERA of any opener (30. 96) to start 60 Tests for him?

The justification for Crawley’s continued selection has been well-told.

Since Duckett’s comeback in Pakistan in 2022, no opening partnership has scored more runs, put on more than fifty stands, or 100 partnerships.

Crawley’s runs and the pair’s small-and-large combination have been significant contributors to that success.

Crawley also has a strong record against Australia, with his 43.06 against them at the start of this series being the best of any England batter since making his debut. One of England’s best Ashes innings in a decade is the stunning 189 at Old Trafford in 2023.

Crawley averages 54 against Pat Cummins, but he has never been let down by Josh Hazlewood in his Test career despite missing this first Test with an injury.

Crawley still manages to score a respectable 38.8 runs per dismissal against the left-arm fast bowler despite the two Perth errors made by Mitchell Starc.

Crucially, Crawley has long been believed to be suitable for Australian cricket. Despite his struggles, England has continued to follow his example thanks to this tour.

He plays well off the top of the bounce, driving deliveries that reach him at a height of 80 to 90 cm off the deck, as they frequently do on bouncy Australian tracks, and he has a good record against high pace.

Some people have had limited on-field success, which adds to the theory.

Crawley, 23, scored 77 on a miserable 2021-22 Ashes trip, an innings of drives and runs of length at Sydney. In Hobart, he flickered in knocks of 18 and 36.

Former Australia captain Ian Chappell remarked that Crawley should be the “future” of England’s batting, saying, “You would want to go a long way with him before you drop him.”

Even last year, Chappell grouped Crawley, Root, and Harry Brook as the key Ashes batters under one of the team’s key players, a rare example of an overbearing English bat.

The reality is that England chose a different type of football than what this series started with two ducks.

Literally speaking, it couldn’t have gone worse.

It would be even more erratic to ask Will Jacks or Jacob Bethell to open for the first time after one Test and promote a debutant from the Lions, or drop Crawley after one Test.

However, there are troubling trends that Crawley must address, most notably a sharp decline in his record against a fast pace.

At the start of the drawn series against India this summer, Crawley’s preference for speed was demonstrated by his career average of 48.25 against deliveries over 87mph.

He has now allowed five dismissals in 54 balls against Starc, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna since then, a six-for-the-number average against these deliveries.

Pace, however, was not Crawley’s issue in Perth.

When Starc caught and bowled him in the second inning, he was perhaps early on the shot.

Instead, the fact that both failures were both drives, with the first aggressive swish leading to a tentative push before the second failed was what made both failures connect.

Driving is now much more dangerous because the Australian pitches are harder than ever and the Kookaburra seaming more refined.

With four dismissals in eight innings, Crawley shoots 55.5 at home, compared to 8.25 in Australia. His strength is also his weakness, as it frequently happens.

Despite all the talk and optimism, Crawley’s average in Australia is 20.75.

England will give him little else to do.