England’s Euro 2025 hero Hannah Hampton has revealed that she lost her grandfather just two days before the Lionesses’ campaign in Switzerland got underway.
The goalkeeper had an excellent tournament and finished it off in some style as she made two saves in the penalty shootout at the end of the final.
England had finished the clash with Spain with the score at 1-1 and partly thanks to Hampton’s heroics, the Lionesses prevailed 3-1 in the shootout.
It came in difficult circumstances for 24-year-old after the sad loss of her grandfather who was a significant influence on her career.
Writing on Instagram on Monday, the day after England’s triumph, the Chelsea star sent an emotional message about the heart-breaking news.
‘Dear Grandpa,’ she wrote.
‘Two days before the biggest tournament of my life, you left.
‘It still doesn’t feel real. I kept thinking when I’d call nannie I’d hear your voice again – one of your jokes, or one of those little comments you’d make that somehow said everything without saying much at all.
‘You were one of my biggest supporters. You believed in me before I even knew what this journey would look like. You were always there – watching, encouraging, teaching. You taught me so much, not just about football, but about life. About staying grounded, working hard, being resilient and doing things the right way.
‘I miss our chats. I miss you saying “Only us athletes understand” — always with a little smirk like you were in on something special. And you were. You got it. You understood what this meant to me. You understood what it took.
‘It breaks my heart that you didn’t get to see me walk out for our country at my first major tournament… something you dreamed of for me, something we talked about so many times. I wanted to see your face or hear your voice after the game calling back home. I wanted to share that with you.
‘But I know, deep down, you were still there. I felt you with me. In the tunnel. On the pitch. In the tough moments. I heard you in my head when I needed strength.
‘I hope I made you proud, Grandpa. I carried you through every minute.
And I always will. I did it. WE DID IT.’
Speaking on the pitch in Basel after the dramatic defence of England’s European Championship, Hampton said: ‘This team’s just unbelievable, incredible.
‘We’ve shown throughout this tournament we can come back when we go a goal down.
‘We’ve got that grit, we’ve got English blood in us, we never say die and we just keep going and we did that again today.’
Hampton faced the task of replacing iconic goalkeeper Mary Earps in the England side, which was little compared to overcoming the serious eye condition she suffered as a child.
Sarina Wiegman said of her star ‘keeper: ‘Every player has their one story and journey and hers has been incredible.
‘Starting the tournament and losing the first game, there was so much riding on every game, we had five finals. She had to step up and I think she has been amazing. It’s a little bit like a fairytale to stop those two penalties in the final.’
