Four years on from her first international tournament, Keira Walsh is a European champion, a Champions League winner and the most expensive player in the world.
But the 2019 World Cup in France could easily have been her last. The overwhelming pressure and expectation affected her performances and a 22-year-old Walsh considered quitting football after facing a barrage of criticism on social media.
Thankfully for England, it did not come to that. Walsh worked with a psychologist to rebuild her confidence and quickly got back to her best form for club and country. Last summer she was a key figure in the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph and two months later sealed a world record move from Manchester City to Barcelona.
As Walsh prepares for England’s World Cup opener against Haiti next Saturday, it is fair to say the heartbreak of 2019 is a distant memory.
‘I’ve massively changed,’ says Walsh. ‘I’ve realised football is a game of opinions, you’ll never please everyone.
England star Keira Walsh is looking forward to the Women’s World Cup in Australia
The midfielder was a key figure in the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph last summer
‘That’s something you get used to as you get older. The manager I’d always played for at Man City, Nick Cushing, loved me and gave me confidence and everything was always said in a positive way.
‘That World Cup really exposed me to criticism and you just have to get used to that.
‘I was probably still fighting for a starting position at that time as well. That’s how I felt in my head. I’d not had many caps, it was my first tournament and it was Phil’s [Neville] first tournament as manager, so I didn’t really know what to expect. Coming into this one the main thing is I just want to enjoy it. I didn’t last time because I was too busy focusing on what everyone was saying.’
Walsh is perhaps the one member of this England team who is irreplaceable. She is the link between defence and attack and is integral to the way manager Sarina Wiegman wants to play.
‘Sarina has given me a lot of confidence to just play my game and take risks and play with freedom,’ says Walsh, 26. ‘That brings the best out of me. It’s nice knowing your manager is on your side and she’s not screaming at you and being negative. She wants the best for everyone and it really helps. I’ve played a lot of games under Sarina, so I know I’ve got her confidence.’
Walsh grew up idolising Sergio Busquets and her style of play makes her a perfect fit for Barcelona. The midfielder admits adapting to the club’s high standards has been a challenge but says it is something she and team-mate Lucy Bronze, who also joined Barca last summer, carry with them into England training.
‘Going to Barcelona has really pushed me out of my comfort zone on and off the pitch,’ says Walsh. ‘Adapting to their style, everything goes through midfield, you’re playing loads of short passes. It is very tactical.
‘The intensity and competitiveness was a surprise. Even in the smallest games they always want to win. Going into England, we try to carry on those standards from Barca.’
The 26-year-old helped Barcelona to Champions League glory following her record move
Walsh’s midfield partnership with her former City team-mate Georgia Stanway is one of the best at this World Cup. Stanway, who joined Bayern Munich last summer, is more of a box-to-box player and has joked that she is happy to do the ‘dirty work’, while Walsh plays the ‘million dollar passes’.
‘Naturally she is probably more of a tackler than me,’ says Walsh with a smile. ‘She breaks up play a lot and she gets about the pitch more, she puts herself around and that’s really important. You need that player in midfield. The way we both want to play the game is similar as well. We both want to be on the ball and playing passes.
‘She makes my life a lot easier but we do have a joke that she does all the tackling and I do the passing.’
Walsh was a surprise omission from the Ballon d’Or nominations last year and there is a feeling she has often been underappreciated and undervalued, despite her importance to club and country.
‘The main thing is I’ve always felt appreciated by my team-mates and the coaches at whatever club I’ve played for and the national team,’ says Walsh.
‘It’s just typical of the holding midfield position, you are going to go under the radar. A lot of the work that you do is going to go unnoticed. For me, maybe it’s a positive thing. I’m happy doing that and it goes with my personality as well, I don’t like being in the spotlight. I’m pretty happy staying under the radar. I’ve always felt appreciated by the people around me, which is most important for me.’
The record £400,000 fee Barca paid City last September may have gone some way to changing that perception of being under the radar but having the title of the world’s most expensive player is not something which crosses Walsh’s mind. She says: ‘I’m pretty laid back. Those things [the record fee and being the most expensive player] aren’t the focus. I wanted to go to Barcelona and it just happened that was the price tag. I play with the best players at England and Barca, so I don’t think of myself as being that. Eventually that record will go.’
Walsh is speaking to The Mail on Sunday to celebrate the opening of McDonald’s Fun Football sessions in Lionesses’ home towns during the Women’s World Cup.
‘Being from Rochdale, there aren’t a lot of opportunities for young girls from around here to play football,’ says Walsh. ‘Hosting sessions in the Lionesses’ home town and for it to be free is massive.’
Walsh with manager Sarina Wiegman ahead of England’s World Cup opener against Haiti
Walsh will be key to England’s chances this summer but, unlike four years ago, the weight of expectation is no longer something that fazes the midfielder.
‘As players and as England teams we’re always under pressure to win, regardless of what happens. Before we’d even won a major tournament, people were speaking about us as being favourites.
‘Experiences from the Euros are fantastic but it’s not the be all and end all. Sarina does a great job of shielding us from all of the external noise and we focus on our jobs.’
Keira Walsh is a McDonald’s Fun Football ambassador. Sign up at Mcdonalds.co.uk/football
