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      Chelsea star Ann-Katrin Berger beat cancer twice – now she’s heading to the World Cup and could face her Lioness partner

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      NOT many players can say that they’ve represented their country at a World Cup.Even fewer can say that they’ve done so off the back of a double-winning season.
      Ann-Katrin Berger is at the World Cup with GermanyCredit: Getty
      The goalkeeper was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last year during Euro 2022Credit: Getty
      She returned to the Chelsea squad in SeptemberCredit: Getty
      But only one will be able to say that they’ve done all of the above after beating cancer… twice.
      Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger has enjoyed some of the highest of highs throughout her playing career, but she has also had to endure some terrible lows.
      In November 2017, just over one year into her spell with Birmingham City, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
      Despite her devastating diagnosis, Berger was determined to continue playing football.
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      She even earned a spot in the PFA Team of the Year at the end of the 2017-18 campaign, just two months after recovering.
      And the following year, she made a huge move to Women’s Super League giants Chelsea.
      Career-wise, the 32-year-old is at the top of her game, having won four WSL titles, three FA Cups and two Continental Cups with the Blues.
      Berger’s incredible form saw her earn a place in Germany’s Euro 2022 squad last summer, but her immense joy – after being called up for her first major tournament – was marred when she found out that her cancer had returned following four years in remission.
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      She has since recovered and helped Chelsea to the WSL title and another FA Cup winCredit: Getty
      Berger received support from her international teammates last SeptemberCredit: Getty
      The goalkeeper told Sky Sports in November: “It had actually started at the beginning of July.
      “We came [together] with the German national team [for the Euros] on July 3 and my yearly appointment was on July 5.
      “It was a little bit of a weird feeling because it was the last one of the normal appointments, but then the blood samples came back negative in thyroid cancer language.
      “Whilst the Euros were still ongoing, I had to do some other tests and the next step after the blood test. Most of the time, it was ultrasounds so they’re checking any lymph nodes or unusual things and that was one week after.
      “After that, I started to wonder what was going on because sometimes, the bloods can go up and down, that’s a normal thing, especially with athletes when hormones and everything are different.
      “But then after the ultrasound, they called me again and I had to go in and they took a biopsy as well. Then I was like ‘Ok, something bad is going on’, but I still wanted to carry on with football.
      “At that point, we’d finished the group stages and I wanted to keep it to myself. Obviously close ones, my family and everything, they started to know something was wrong but at that time, my team didn’t know because they had to focus on the Euros.
      “I know how to deal with it because I’ve been there before so that’s why I started to keep it to myself. The doctors gave me the all-clear to train as normal and said there wouldn’t be any problems.”
      Berger waited until the latter stages of Euro 2022 to inform her international teammates of her diagnosis, simply because she wanted to enjoy the tournament as much as possible.
      She added: “It was a difficult moment, but I kept it a little bit more quiet. I wanted to enjoy the Euros for myself because that kept me going – it actually was just nice to do something and not feel sorry for yourself.”
      In August, Berger announced to the world that her cancer had returned.
      In a statement on social media, she wrote: “I wanted to update fans directly that unfortunately, after four years of living cancer-free, there has been a recurrence detected in my thyroid.”
      Despite the devastating setback, she remarkably returned to action just over a month later, featuring in Chelsea’s WSL clash against Manchester City.
      And in March she was hailed as a hero after saving two penalties which subsequently sent the Blues through to the Champions League semi-final.
      Four months on from that electric evening at Stamford Bridge, Berger is now in Australia and New Zealand for her first World Cup.
      The goalkeeper has already lifted the WSL trophy and the FA Cup this year, but now she has her sights firmly set on arguably the biggest accolade in football.
      The goalkeeper is dating England defender Jess CarterCredit: Getty
      Carter is in the England squad for the World CupCredit: Getty
      However, in order to win the World Cup, Berger and her Germany teammates will have to get past European champions England.
      And that means the goalkeeper will have to better her girlfriend, and Chelsea teammate, Jess Carter.
      The couple started dating in 2017 and they now live together in London.
      But while they represent two different nations, there is little-to-no rivalry between them.
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      In an interview with The Guardian last year, Carter said: “There wasn’t really any direct competition [during the Euros] because we are both really chilled people.”
      Germany kick off their World Cup campaign against Morocco on July 24, while England face Haiti on July 22nd.
      The couple have been dating since 2021Credit: Alamy More

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      Inside the Lionesses’ bizarre superstition that helped them win Euro 2022 as they now target World Cup 2023 glory

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      BEHIND every successful team is a great manager, a flawless philosophy and a relentless work ethic.There is also the odd superstition.
      England won Euro 2022 at Wembley last summerCredit: Getty
      The Lionesses are now hoping to replicate that success at the World CupCredit: PA
      England had all of the above when they stormed to European Championship glory last summer.
      Sarina Wiegman united a squad, and that squad gradually united a nation when the Lionesses edged through each round of Euro 2022, first defeating Austria, Norway and Northern Ireland in the group stages before seeing off Spain in the quarter-finals and Sweden in the semi-finals.
      They then capped off an unforgettable month with a 2-1 win over bitter rivals Germany in the final, thanks to goals from Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly.
      But after lifting that glorious glass trophy under the iconic Wembley arch – and basking in the celebrations – attention quickly turned to the next big challenge – the World Cup.
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      A year has since passed and the Lionesses are now preparing to do it all over again, this time in Australia and New Zealand.
      But while the team looks slightly different – with Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby absent due to injury – Wiegman and her squad are approaching this year’s World Cup with a similar mindset.

      They are even prepared to replicate one key superstition that helped them to victory last summer.
      England midfielder Georgia Stanway has revealed that it became a tradition for all players to NOT pack their suitcases during the Euros, even when they had to leave their base hotel.
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      The 24-year-old told FourFourTwo magazine: “That was something we really enjoyed doing: not packing our suitcases, leaving our stuff exactly where it was.
      “It was never really spoken about, but for every matchday minus one, we would travel to a different hotel, and it became tradition to leave everything unpacked at our base hotel.
      “It was where all of our clothes were and where everything was unpacked.
      “We had made the rooms our own and made it the Lionesses’ hotel, and there was always a bit of: ‘Are we taking our bags?’
      “But it became normal to leave them because we knew we were coming back.
      “That meant we were coming back for the final.”
      AUSSIE BASE
      England are based at the Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific Hotel for the World Cup, a four-star complex on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia.
      The Lionesses took a 90-minute flight to Brisbane from their base camp on Sunday ahead of their opening match against Haiti on Thursday.
      After the match, they will return to their base hotel for their second group game against Denmark.
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      The England team will then fly another two hours to Adelaide, where they will take on China.
      Fully expect their bags at base camp to remain unpacked throughout – and hopefully up until the final on August 20.
      Hannah Hampton  with her bag packedCredit: PA
      The team left their camp in Windsor before flying to AustraliaCredit: PA
      Stanway has revealed that it became tradition for the Lionesses not to pack their suitcases during Euro 2022Credit: Getty More

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      Lauren James trained with Arsenal’s senior team at just 14 but was kicked out after complaints from players

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      CHELSEA forward Lauren James is set to take the Women’s World Cup by storm this summer.The 21-year-old, who is now a regular in Sarina Wiegman’s England team, first burst onto the scene when she made her professional debut for Arsenal in 2017.
      James will make her World Cup debut with England this summerCredit: Getty
      The forward is one of the best young players in the WSLCredit: Getty
      But prior to her first Women’s Super League outing, she endured a turbulent time in North London.
      James’ dad, Nigel, has revealed that she was promoted to train with the Arsenal women’s first team at the age of just 14, but some senior players took issue with her involvement.
      In an interview with The Beautiful Game podcast, Nigel said: “She was too good to train with the Arsenal girls when she first went there.
      “So Arsenal tried something, Pedro (Martinez Losa) who was the coach at the time, brought her in to train with the women.
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      “She was probably about 14 at the time. She stayed in her digs for a couple of nights and they got a tutor to teach her, so she trained with the women.
      “It was all good hearing it, but your 14 year-old daughter is now training with women who are 35, 28, they were grown women.
      “So when you are on the pitch it is football, but off the pitch they had nothing in common.
      “What people would see is this little girl. Some could take it and put their arm around her and some couldn’t take it and said ‘you shouldn’t be here, you should be at school.’
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      “She (Lauren) would pick up the good bits from someone and then the negative parts from others.
      “The manager left, another manager came in. There was a game she played in where the manager let her take a penalty. She took the penalty, but the next day senior players didn’t like it at the time.”
      Despite James’ outstanding ability and potential, some Arsenal players even requested that she was removed from first team training due to her age.
      The forward’s dad added: “They then asked for Lauren to be removed from the first team squad at Arsenal and to go back in the academy, but the solution was she train with the academy boys.
      “This had never happened before so it was a big thing. Some parents didn’t like it.
      “But she was superb and did very well. At the end of the season when she was 15-and-a-half, Arsenal then said you won’t be with the women, you’ll play with the academy girls. I saw her playing with girls her own age as sort of a demotion.
      “That is why we needed to leave.”
      After leaving Arsenal, James joined Manchester United in July 2018.
      She made her club debut in a Women’s Championship match the following month and went on to help the Red Devils achieve promotion to the WSL.
      James, the younger sister of Chelsea star Reece, then spent two more years in Manchester before joining the Blues in 2021.
      She has since won two WSL titles and three FA Cups.
      Read More on The Sun
      The forward will take part in her first major tournament this summer with England.
      She narrowly missed out on a place in Wiegman’s European Campionship-winning squad last summer before making her international debut in September.
      Prior to her WSL debut, James endured a mixed experience at ArsenalCredit: Getty More

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      How England Women could line up for World Cup 2023 opener against Haiti with left-back leading line as STRIKER

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      ENGLAND kick off their World Cup campaign this weekend with a highly-anticipated match against Haiti.The Lionesses have their eyes on the prize this summer following last year’s European Championship triumph.
      England are preparing to face Haiti in their Women’s World Cup openerCredit: Getty
      Millie Bright has returned from injuryCredit: Getty
      Rachel Daly could start in attackCredit: Getty
      How England could line up against Haiti
      However, Sarina Wiegman has been forced to make some major changes to her squad.
      Captain Leah Williamson was ruled out of the tournament in April after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament during a Women’s Super League match against Manchester United.
      Her Arsenal team-mate Beth Mead has also been left out of the squad with the same injury.
      And Chelsea midfielder Fran Kirby, who has been a mainstay in the England team since 2015, underwent knee surgery in May, so she will be unavailable for a “significant period” of time.
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      Wiegman has been handed some severe selection headaches this summer, with several young stars bursting onto the international scene.
      Chelsea ace Lauren James, who narrowly missed out on a spot in last summer’s squad, has travelled to Australia along with Manchester City defender Esme Morgan and Brighton winger Katie Robinson.
      Established WSL stars Jordan Nobbs, Niamh Charles and Katie Zelem also made the trip.
      But with the stakes so high, SunSport have predicted how England will line up ahead of Saturday’s opener against Haiti.
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      Millie Bright, who was handed the captain’s armband in the wake of Williamson’s devastating ACL injury, is expected to start in the heart of defence despite her recent ankle injury.
      There had been some question marks surrounding the 29-year-old’s involvement, with her injury preventing her from taking part in full training until just last week.
      However, she took part in a behind-closed-doors warm-up match against Canada on Friday, indicating that she will be fully fit to start against Haiti.
      Bright will likely line up in defence alongside Barcelona right-back Lucy Bronze, her Chelsea team-mate Jess Carter and Man City’s Alex Greenwood.
      Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway are expected to start in midfield, with Ella Toone filling in for Kirby in a slightly more attacking position.
      Lauren Hemp will likely keep her starting position on the left wing, but there are some question marks surrounding who she will line up alongside in attack.
      Chelsea forward James could start on the right wing, with former defender Rachel Daly in the No9 position.
      Daly played a crucial role in Wiegman’s European Championship-winning squad last summer, but as a left-back.
      Following the tournament, she joined Aston Villa in a permanent transfer from Houston Dash and quickly adapted to become a striker.
      The 31-year-old scored 22 goals throughout the 2022-23 WSL campaign and won the Golden Boot, so it would be no surprise to see her leading the line at the World Cup.
      While there is some uncertainty surrounding a few positions, one player is expected to start every game unless she is ill or injured.
      That player is Manchester United’s Mary Earps, who was named as The Best Women’s Goalkeeper in the World by Fifa earlier this year.
      Alternative England line up vs Haiti
      Unlike last summer, Wiegman is not expected to start every game with the same line-up.
      Alessia Russo, who joined Arsenal in a shock free transfer at the beginning of the month, could start up front instead of Daly.
      Read More on The Sun
      Chloe Kelly could also muscle her way into the starting squad amid her impressive run of form, which could mean that James moves into the attacking midfield role.
      And Carter could be replaced by in-form Arsenal defender Lotte Wubben-Moy or 22-year-old Man City star Morgan. More

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      Who is England striker Bethany England and what clubs has she played for?

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      ENGLISH professional football player Bethany England is one of the well-known players of the English team. Her skill as a striker has afforded her a highly successful career so far and she will be taking her skills to Tottenham Hotspur.
      Bethany has been one of the top goal scorers at Chelsea FCCredit: Getty
      Who is Bethany England?
      Bethany England was born and raised in Barnsley, England, on June 3, 1994.
      She grew up with her parents, twin sister and her other sister in the South Yorkshire town.
      The future Lioness started playing football at a young age, first joining a team when she was six years old.
      The first team she played with was a boy’s team called Junior Tykes for almost four years.
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      Bethany attended Barnsley Sixth Form College before studying law through a partnership with BPP University and the Doncaster Belles.
      Bethany proudly identifies as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
      What teams has Bethany England played for?
      The Tottenham striker has played for a few different teams so far in her career.
      During her youth career, she played for Sheffield United.
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      She also represented England for their under-19 and under-23 teams from 2011 until 2017.
      She made her senior professional football debut with Doncaster Rovers Belles in 2011.
      She played for Doncaster until 2015 and was then transferred to Chelsea FC.
      She spent almost 7 years with Chelsea FC, making 99 appearances and scoring 45 goals.

      Part was through her time at Chelsea she was loaned to Liverpool, making 16 appearances and scoring 10 goals for them in one season.
      On January 4, 2023, Bethany’s transfer from Chelsea to Tottenham Hotspur was announced.
      It was reported that her transfer fee was £250,000, breaking the record for a domestic women’s football transfer.
      She is contracted to stay with Tottenham until June 2026 at the earliest.
      Bethany has also earned quite a few accolades throughout her professional career.
      In 2020 Bethany was named the league’s Player of the Year and PFA Women’s Player of the Year.
      She was awarded these after helping Chelsea win the 2019/20 FA WSL and the 2019/20 FA Women’s League Cup.
      Bethany was also part of the England team that won the UEFA Women’s Championship in 2022.
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      When did Bethany England win her first international cap?
      Bethany made her senior international debut for the England women’s team in a friendly against Belgium in 2019.
      Off the back of being Chelsea’s top striker the season prior, she was brought on for the final quarter of an hour of the game. More

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      Who is Australia defender Alanna Kennedy?

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      ALANNA Kennedy has achieved success at a number of clubs during her career.Here we take a look inside the life of the Australian defender.
      Alanna Kennedy has achieved success at a number of clubs during her careerCredit: AP
      Who is Alanna Kennedy?
      Alanna Kennedy, born on January 21, 1995, is an Australian professional football player.
      Kennedy, who plays as a defender, is recognised as being a versatile, technical player and right-footed free kick specialist.
      She is also capable of playing in midfield.
      As a child, the sports star was raised in the Sydney suburb of Rosemeadow and attended primary school at Rosemeadow Public and selective sports school Westfields Sports High School.
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      In her youth, Kennedy was the only girl on an all-boys team, before playing for the Campbelltown Cobras.
      She has also trained with the Girls Skills Acquisition Program (GSAP) at MacArthur Rams.
      What teams has Alanna Kennedy played for?
      Alanna Kennedy has achieved success at a number of clubs during her glittering career so far.
      She started her career playing for Sydney FC in the 2010–11 season, where she featured in 3 games.
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      Kennedy then made the decision to switch clubs and joined the Newcastle Jets, before returning to Sydney FC in the 2012–13 season.
      For the following season, the sports star joined city rivals Western Sydney Wanderers, before joining Perth Glory.
      After a number of career moves, Kennedy returned to Sydney FC in 2015, where she remained for the following two seasons.
      A year later in 2016, The Campbelltown-born defender signed with the Western New York Flash in the National Women’s Soccer League, where she made 17 appearances.

      In 2017, she made yet another move – this time to Orlando Pride, where she appeared in every game that season.
      In the final match, Kennedy scored the game-winning goal on a free kick in stoppage time.
      This win allowed Orlando to finish the regular season in third place and qualify for the playoffs for the first time in club history.
      Kennedy then joined Melbourne City on loan for the 2017–18 season.
      After spending one season at Melbourne City, Kennedy returned to Sydney FC once again in 2018 and remained at the club until 2020.
      That same year, she made the move to Tottenham Hotspur on a six-month loan, before signing permanently with the club until the end of the season.
      In May 2021, Kennedy was released by Tottenham, which opened the door for her next signing – a two-year deal with Manchester City.
      Kennedy put pen-to-paper on a two-year contract extension with the Manchester club in May 2023.
      While playing at the Academy Stadium, she wears the No.33 shirt.
      How long has Alanna Kennedy played for Australia?
      Kennedy has spent the majority of her career so far in her native Australia with the likes of Sydney FC, Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory.
      She has also been part of Australia women’s national football team, the Matildas, for over a decade.
      In 2012, Kennedy made her national team debut for the Matildas aged 17, against New Zealand.
      In May 2015, the defender was named to Australia’s 23-player roster for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
      The following year she attended her first Olympic Games in 2016 before attending once again as a member of the Matildas Tokyo 2020 Olympics squad.
      Kennedy then went on to become part of the Matildas squad that won the 2017 Tournament of Nations and defeated the United States for the first time ever.
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      In May 2019, Kennedy was named to the Matildas squad for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
      For the third time in 2023, Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson proudly announced Kennedy as part of the 23-player squad that would be representing Australia at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023. More

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      ‘Disappointed’ Lionesses blast FA in statement over bonus row days before England kick off Women’s World Cup campaign

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      ENGLAND have hit out at a lack of progress with talks concerning bonus pay for players at the Women’s World Cup.The Euros champs are dismayed no resolution has been reached following ongoing negotitiations with the FA over performance bonuses. 

      Skipper Millie Bright shared players’ thoughts in a written statement signed by every member of Sarina Wiegman’s squad.
      Their words, shared via social media, come just four days before England’s group D opening game against Haiti on July 22.
      And the Lionesses have decided to put talks on hold to focus on their progress at the World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
      In the statement tweeted by Bright earlier today, players wrote: “Last year we presented the FA with our concerns relating to our bonus and commercial structures.
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      “We are disappointed that a resolution has still not been achieved.
      “We view the successful conclusion of these discussions, through player input and a transparent long-term plan, as key for the growth of women’s football in England.

      “With our opening game on the horizon, we Lionesses have decided to pause discussions, with full intentions of revisiting them following the tournament.
      “We collectively feel a strong sense of responsibility to grow the game and while our focus now switches fully to the tournament ahead, we believe every tackle, pass and goal will contribute to the work we are committed to doing off the pitch.
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      “We look forward to playing for our country in this World Cup with pride, passion and perseverance. Thank you for your support.”

      England players are pausing talks with the FA over Women’s World Cup bonuses until after the tournamentCredit: Alamy
      The Lionesses’ statement comes a month after Fifa announced changes to how prize money is allocated to players at the Women’s World Cup 
      For the first time in the tournament’s history pay from the authority will go directly to squad members on each team.
      And the amount paid is based on players’ performance with the figure rising the further a team progresses in the contest. 
      Prior to Fifa’s new set-up national football bodies would choose how prize money was distributed 
      It is thought some are willing to fund additional pay to players outside Fifa’s new structure. 
      England players are believed  to be dismayed that the FA has not taken a leaf out of the book of their United States counterparts.
      The USA’s federation has a collective bargaining agreement which sees players receive bonuses in addition to prize money paid directly to them by Fifa.
      PFA chief Maheta Molango warned it would be “a massive mistake” to underestimate players’ feelings on the matter.
      Sarina Wiegman’s aces are focusing on their upcoming World Cup fixtures including a group stage opener against HaitiCredit: Getty
      The Professional Footballers’ Association boss said: “It is no coincidence this is particular issue for nations where there is no collective bargaining agreement in place for players and governing bodies.
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      “There will always be consequences when players feel they are having to come back, issue by issue, to push for parity and progress.
      “It doesn’t need to be like this.” More

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      Lionesses winning Euros last summer was wonderful – here’s three reasons why we should roar them on again at World Cup

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      IF I tell you I have a hunch about a sporting event, then have a hunch of your own that the opposite will happen. I have a terrible track record with these things.But last year I got something right.
      Alessia Russo’s stunning surprise backheel against Sweden in the semi-finalCredit: Getty
      Ace Chloe Kelly celebrates her winnerCredit: PA
      The Lionesses gatecrash the press conference and partyCredit: Getty
      I wrote in The Sun that England’s women would win the Euros.
      And they did. Thrillingly, miraculously, brilliantly, inspiringly . . . they only went and did it.
      There were a trio of Three Lionesses moments which are right up there with anything our men have done. Moments which changed everything.
      Oh the joy of Russo’s backheel in the semi-final.
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      Very occasionally a player will do something which no one sees coming. They sell a dummy which everyone buys.
      Their teammates, their opponents, the commentators, the cameras, the crowd and the TV audience all look for the ball to go one way, but it goes ­somewhere else.
      No matter how many times you watch it back, Alessia Russo’s backheel takes you by surprise.
      This was the moment even the most cynical, not-for-me women’s football refusenik went “Oof! Wow! OK.”
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      Then there was Chloe Kelly’s winner in the final. By then we were so into it.
      Earlier, as we became true believers, it dawned on us that while everything was different, it could all yet turn out the same.
      Same old England, sure to lose in the end, to Germany, inevitably.
      But no! Into the net went the ball and over her head came Chloe’s shirt. Iconic.
      This was the moment we knew the Lionesses were different.
      They were winners. And we all felt like winners too.
      And then there was the invasion of the press ­conference.
      The all-singing, all-dancing, conga of ­mischief and joy.
      This was the moment we were reminded that, at its great beating heart, football is actually about, you know, having fun.
      Total ­uninhibited happiness.
      Great, great times.
      And this week we go again.
      Conga of ­mischief and joy
      It’s going to be harder this time.
      Not just because it’s the World Cup, nor because it’s happening a world away in a land down under.
      No, it’s because now England expects.
      Success creates its own pressure.
      And this means they need us to get behind them more than ever before.
      They gave us something wonderful last summer and now, in a sense, we need to give them something back.
      Someone once said that success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.
      True that. We need to demonstrate that we’ve not been fairweather friends to our Lionesses.
      We need to be with them all the way.
      We can’t bide our time and wait for a moment of glory to be within our grasp.
      They need us right behind them from the off. They need us now.
      Shirt-shedding
      And it’s not just about the World Cup either.
      Last week Karen Carney, former Lioness midfielder and chair of a major review into the women’s game, published her report.
      It’s not a back-patting, look-how-far-we’ve-come exercise.
      It’s much more important than that.
      Her call is for the top two tiers of women’s football to be made fully professional; for a new regular broadcast slot on television; for better investment, better facilities, higher standards all around.
      This isn’t romantic stuff about backheels, shirt-shedding or crazy congas.
      This is the gritty, tricky, challenging stuff needing to be done to get more girls playing, and more women winning, in the environments they’ve earned the right to enjoy.
      There’s 126 pages to this report, and it’s well worth a read, but Karen sums it up rather neatly for us in just a few words.
      “Nothing can take away from our great achievements,” she says.
      “But it is like Instagram vs reality, and the latter is worrying and we need to address it.”
      She’s right. The Instagram posts tell a story of shiny new success with money to match.
      The reality is huge areas of the women’s game underfunded and underloved. The poor relation.
      The seeds of failure are often sown in times of success.
      Power is in our hands
      It would be all too easy for us to say, “Oh yeah, women’s football. Love it! I get it! We’re brilliant! Job done!”
      Never mind the facilities, let’s just admire that backheel again.
      Even if the Lionesses win the World Cup and conga all the way home with the trophy, the gap between Instagram and reality won’t be closed.
      If anything, it will be wider. The ­Instagrams will look even glossier, and the reality will change barely a jot.
      A massive opportunity could go ­begging, and that would be a dreadful thing.
      So what, you might ask, can we, the fans, do to close Karen’s Instagram vs reality gap?
      Well, much of it, to do with finance and administration and business planning, we have no direct control of.
      But the power is still in our hands.
      Because if we carry on seeing the power and potential of the women’s game, and stick with it, and demand ­better, all the good stuff will follow.
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      More than ever before, at this World Cup and way beyond, everyone from the Lionesses to the little girl in the park wanting a kickabout, need our backing.
      Let’s do this. More