England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton is one of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year nominees
Lionesses icon Hannah Hampton is among the nominees to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year tonight (Thursday). The England goalkeeper will learn her fate during the event, with live voting taking place while the awards ceremony is ongoing.
Hampton earned her spot as one of the six contenders for her pivotal contributions to the Lionesses ’ triumph at Euro 2025. The 25-year-old was the hero of two penalty shootouts during the tournament, including two saves against Spain in the final as Sarina Wiegman ’s side retained the trophy.
The Chelsea goalkeeper became England’s number one ahead of the Euros, leading to Mary Earps ’ shock international retirement before the tournament. Hampton had already showcased her quality by helping guide Chelsea to a domestic treble last season, winning the Women’s Super League, FA Cup and League Cup.
She was awarded the Yashin Trophy, given to the world ’s best goalkeeper, at the Ballon d’Or awards in September. However, she faces competition from fellow Lioness Chloe Kelly for the Sports Personality title. Here is a closer look at Hampton’s career.
Mary Earps claim
Hampton was unexpectedly criticised by Mary Earps in the former England star’s autobiography ‘All In’ earlier this year. The PSG goalkeeper claimed that Hampton’s “bad beahviour” in previous squads had been rewarded after earning a recall.
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Wiegman subsequently defended her decision to pick Hampton. Meanwhile, the current England keeper addressed the 2023 BBC Sports Personality winner’s comments last month.
“I guess it’s the life of being a footballer, your life is in the spotlight,” Hampton told BBC Sport. “People are entitled to their opinions. People can say whatever they want to say. It’s down to myself whether I want to let that affect me. I definitely know it’s not going to.
“I’m not going to sit here and knock people for what they have to say, that’s their life, that’s their judgement. I’m just going to focus on myself, that’s all I can do. I want to achieve a lot more in the game and I can’t dwell on people’s thoughts. That’s going to hinder me, not help me.”
Water bottle drama
Hampton cemented herself as an England legend for her role in the Euro 2025 triumph. She made two saves in the quarter-final shootout with Sweden before repeating the feat against Spain in the final. However, an admission about her antics during the Spain showdown further established Hampton as a cult hero.
During an interview with talkSPORT, she said: “The Spanish keeper had it (the penalty information) on her bottle, so I thought when she was going in goal, I’d just pick it up and chuck it into the English fans so she can’t have it. I don’t ever put it on a bottle because anyone can do that so I put it on my arm.”
When asked to clarify if she had thrown away her opponent’s bottle, Hampton replied: “Yeah, it wasn’t hard. When she’s gone in the goal, it’s on its own isn’t it? It’s in the towel, you just pick it up.”
Hampton added: “She was walking back to take the penalty and I was walking the other way and she was so confused, and I was just trying not to burst out laughing, being like, ‘I don’t know what’s happening!’ ” You’ve got to do something, haven’t you?”
However, Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll has since refuted the tale. In response, Coll wrote on social media: “Okay, okay, calm down, calm down. At least if it were true…’.
Eyesight issue
Despite being England number one, Hampton has previously admitted to suffering with her eyesight. The former Aston Villa star was born with strabismus, an eye condition that affects depth perception and underwent several operations at a young age, though it remains an issue for the goalkeeper away from the football.
“I’ve always gone through life trying to prove people wrong,” she said before the Euros. “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.”
After receiving her first England call-up in 2021, Hampton explained: “I have no depth perception, so I can’t judge distances – so being a goalkeeper doesn’t really make a lot of sense. It’s more off the pitch when you notice it. For example, pouring a glass of water – if I’m not holding the glass itself I will miss it and spill it everywhere.”
