After scoring one of the most important goals in English football history, Ella Toone made a surprising admission – she was “gutted” not to be wearing her eyelash extensions.
Toone, who scored the opener in England’s Euro 2022 final victory over Germany with a marvellous chipped finish, has played a huge part in the explosion in popularity and attention for women’s football in the last few months.
But the Manchester United midfielder is also keen not to let that added attention stop her from looking however she wants.
Other women’s players have spoken about how they feel judged more on their looks than their footballing talent. Aston Villa midfielder Alisha Lehmann has been among those to express disappointment at being judged more for her Instagram output than her on-pitch achievements.
But Toone, 23, says she is proud to be proving that when it comes to false lashes or football, there does not need to be a choice.
“I like that young girls can now look up to women like us,” she told BBC Sport.
“I love getting my lashes done, my nails done. I always say: you feel good, you look good, you play good.
“I can still go out there and play football. There should be no stigma around the way you look and how you dress.”
Another aspect of women’s football in England is the close bond between players and fans – yet a side effect of the growth of the women’s game is the risk of losing that interaction.
Toone is less able to stop for selfies and sign shirts when they play at Old Trafford compared with the games at Leigh Sports Village.
“Women’s football is very different, we connect with fans so much more,” says Toone. “The stadiums are usually much smaller so we’re used to being able to see everyone, sign shirts and take pictures, connect with everyone.
“As it continues to grow, that’s not sustainable any more. It’s about finding different ways to connect.”
Toone appears to have done that on social media, where she entertains her 265,000 TikTok followers with rap battles and funny phone calls with her nan. But she won’t let that distract her from her professional ambitions.
“Football is always first and I want to be remembered as a good footballer. If people connect with me away from football, that’s OK too.”
It is no wonder Toone wants to focus on football, with her club side Manchester United now firmly on the hunt for their first Women’s Super League title.
The Tyldesley-born player first joined United as an eight-year-old, before leaving six years later due to a lack of a senior women’s side.
When United did finally form a women’s team and entered the Championship in 2018, Toone was part of the original squad and she has been a fixture in their rise from the second tier to the top of the WSL.
“We’ve been building now for five years,” she says. “We want to perform well every weekend. We’ve strengthened really well, our depth is the best it has ever been. It’s really exciting.
“It was nice to be here from the start. Now we keep improving, hopefully keep performing well.”
Come the summer, focus will switch to the World Cup, where England begin their campaign on 22 July against Haiti in Brisbane.
Since their history-making victory in the Euros last summer, being a Lioness comes with added pressure and expectations.
“It’s changed massively. A lot more people recognise me now,” Toone says. “But that’s part and parcel of it, more people recognise us. I try to take everything in my stride.
“We have a big target on our backs now. That’s the pressure we love. We go into each game wanting to do what we love – make the nation proud.”
Source – BBC Sport
