Chloe Kelly: ‘Taking control of my own destiny was really important – sometimes you have to see the realness’
TTo understand Chloe Kelly’s year and the series of game-changing breakthroughs that led to historic successes in Lisbon and Basel, you need to go back to her Liverpool bathroom floor and the most difficult period of her life. Sick with anxiety and struggling with panic attacks, Kelly could not get out of the situation because she was overwhelmed by the feeling of not being in control of her own future. It was January 2025, a few months before the European Championship, and Kelly was desperate to leave Manchester City and get more minutes on the pitch. Not only that, he needed to take control again.
He knew that even at his lowest the determination and talent were still there; What was missing was a sense of purpose and the joy of dribbling for the first time while growing up in the five-a-side street cafes of West London. The journey, which started with a city walk after school with Lotte Wubben-Moy, going to Arsenal’s academy, taking the metro, taking the train, taking the bus and finally walking on the M25, was in danger of fading away as the hours progressed as the transfer deadline approached. It felt like the exit door was closing. At 27, he was ready to walk away and quit his job.
But clearly this wasn’t Chloe Kelly’s year; not after a summer marked by how she and the lionesses refused to bend or break, but then took on whatever came their way.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Kelly took the top spot Independent’s Impact list to recognize his role in England’s Euro 2025 victory. The Lionesses successfully defended their European title, becoming the first senior England team, men or women, to win a major tournament on foreign soil.
“It’s not action, it’s reaction,” Kelly said during England’s roller-coaster run. The winner of the transformative Euro 2022 final at Wembley three years ago, Kelly has been reborn from the resilience and strength he showed when all seemed lost. In the end, its growth and England’s survival in Switzerland mirrored each other.
“My journey and taking control of my own destiny, writing my own script, was really important,” says Kelly. Independent. HE He has a strong sense of what his message is and what it represents: speaking out when you’re feeling down can be the first step in turning the narrative around.
For Kelly, it was about broadcasting where he stood and where he came from. He told his millions of followers on Instagram that his situation at City had “had a huge impact not only on my career but also on my mental health”; It was not a cry for help, but a vow not to suffer in silence. “The world is full of social media where you see great things all the time, but sometimes you need to see the truth,” he says. “I’m proud that I did it because I don’t think I would be where I am now without it.”
This led to his return to Arsenal, initially on loan, and a reframing of his season. He told his new coach at Arsenal, Renee Slegers, that he wanted to enjoy his football again. Lionesses’ Sarina Wiegman eased the pressure to hold off the Euro team by telling her she had time. There was also understanding outside the immediate circle of family and friends. “It’s important, especially for young girls, to see that not everything is shiny and shiny, it’s not all about winning,” Kelly says. “Sometimes it’s the dark moments that get you to the winning moments.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how dark those moments were. Kelly recently told Fearne Cotton: Happy Place podcast, saying he lost his hair due to the stress of his situation at Manchester City and was conscious of covering up the patches in his first few games at Arsenal. But once she settled back into familiar surroundings, her smile returned and Kelly began to piece it all together. Her starring role in Arsenal’s comeback against Real Madrid was followed by a moment in helping Arsenal become European champions again in Lisbon, following the example of her idols Kelly Smith and Rachel Yankey 18 years ago.
And then there was the Euros, “the most chaotic tournament ever,” as Wiegman famously put it. “Going down didn’t phase us,” adds the super sub, whose exit from the bench would signal a shift in the Lionesses’ mentality and bring about a change-changing moment. He had two assists and another crucial penalty in the quarter-final shootout to save England against Sweden. Kelly, who came back into the game against Italy, scored the winning goal at the end of extra time. Later, in the final and another penalty shootout, the ball fell into Kelly’s hands again. Yet it’s in those moments when time stands still that Kelly thrives the most.
But trust must be tested before it can be declared unshakable. Kelly’s was. Other moments would become equally iconic due to their reaction at the Euros; Staying on the touchline until the 78th minute against Sweden, where England fell behind in the quarter-finals; slotting a last-minute corner into the side-netting against Italy as the Lionesses desperately sought an equaliser; Missing three penalties in training the day before the Euro final, knowing he would still get a fifth penalty if it went to a shootout.
These were also the moments that made Kelly’s year, because they gave her the opportunity to show that the next step is always important. “Action is always what you think about, but the reaction is what makes the story even better. I think that shapes the whole of 2025 for me,” Kelly says. “Sometimes you have to ride the wave, speak out and be proud to speak out. I hope this has inspired many women and young girls to achieve great things this year. For me, it’s just being real.”
Read The Independent’s impact list for International Women’s Day 2026 Here.
