Beth Mead interview: ‘Missing out is tough, but I’ll be England’s No1 cheerleader’
But though she suffered a horrific knee damage in November which killed her Women’s World Cup dream, she has lengthy since made peace with it.
“It’s been very difficult”, Mead tells Standard Sport. “I have good and bad days. Ultimately, I can’t do my job and something that I love doing, but injuries are part and parcel of football.
“I’m positive”, she provides. “I try and spin everything in a good way. I believe things happen for a reason — maybe I was meant to slow down for a bit.
“Missing the World Cup was a tough pill to swallow, but I used it as my motivation in my rehab, so I can look at myself in the mirror now and be proud of what I did to try and get as close as I could. It wasn’t to be, this time around.”
The 28-year-old Arsenal winger admits Euro 2022 on house soil final summer season “very much” modified her life.
“Football-wise, the women’s game has taken on new heights in the season just gone,” she says. “Walking down the street and meeting people is a little different now than it was two or three years ago. I get stopped quite regularly, but if someone knows who I am then that means the women’s game is heading in the right direction.”
The Lionesses gained each recreation on the Euros and Mead was England’s star performer as they romped to their first ladies’s main match triumph.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would achieve what I did last summer — even to be on the Ballon d’Or list, let alone to come second in it.”
Mead was in electrical kind throughough the competitors, ending because the joint-top scorer, prime assist-maker, and official greatest participant of the match. No lady or man had ever managed all three in a single World Cup or Euros earlier than.
Beth Mead poses with the Euro 2022, prime scorer and participant of the match trophies at Wembley final summer season
/ The FA through Getty ImagesSpeaking about that trio of private accolades, she admits: “It’s still surreal to this day, and it’s definitely one of my favourite hat-tricks of my career so far. Memories and moments that I’ll treasure forever.”
England face Haiti of their World Cup opener in Brisbane on Saturday, earlier than assembly Denmark and China of their remaining Group D video games. But England have now gone 4 90-minute matches with out victory and head into the match of their flattest type of the Sarina Wiegman period.
“I’m not concerned”, Mead insists. “There’s been a bit of transition from the Euros. We’ve had two retirements and a few injuries. If we were flying right now, I’d probably worry even more.”
Mead stays assured England will activate the model when it actually issues, significantly the gamers working in her place.
“Lauren Hemp has unbelievable pace,” she continues. “Lauren James on the ball is very tough, Chloe Kelly can create a bit of magic, and Katie Robinson has a lot of pace to beat defenders. These girls have now got to step up. I have to back my winger friends.
Wingers Chloe Kelly (left) and Lauren James (right) could be critical to England’s chances of success at the 2023 Women’s World Cup
/ The FA via Getty Images“Sarina is pretty amazing at keeping the external out. We’ve won the Euros, so there’s a little target on our backs, but football is a funny game. The World Cup is the best teams all over the world, it’s got a bit of an extra kick.
“I’ll be rehabbing away at Arsenal, so I’ll be watching with some of the Arsenal girls such as Vivianne Miedema, Kim Little, Jen Beattie, supporting our Arsenal friends — and England!
“Once you win something, you become hungrier to win again. The girls will be champing at the bit to get that World Cup trophy.
“I’ll be their number one cheerleader this summer.”
Beth Mead was talking on the largest ever McDonald’s Fun Football session to have fun the landmark of over 250,000 kids for throughout the UK benefiting from entry to free soccer this season. Sign as much as a free session close to you at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/football