England's Hannah Hampton was told not to play football due to health condition

Hannah Hampton is hoping to end this weekend as a European champion as she continues to defy expectations. The goalkeeper is the Lionesses' No.1 in Switzerland following Mary Earps' recent retirement, with the 24-year-old relishing playing in a major tournament for her country.

Hampton had experienced a turbulent period with England prior to Euro 2025, having celebrated Euro 2022 success before being axed just months afterwards and forced to rebuild her reputation at club level with Aston Villa. Now at Chelsea, the shot-stopper has returned to Sarina Wiegman's squad and received a massive show of faith ahead of the tournament.

The former Birmingham talent recovered from her previous fall from grace to become England's new No. 1 - and overcoming adversity is nothing new for Hampton given the enormous challenges she has faced since childhood.

The goalkeeper was born with a severe eye condition and has undergone multiple surgical procedures over the years in attempts to rectify the issue, though they have not all been completely successful. Hampton battles with depth perception, which makes her role on a football pitch all the more extraordinary.

Speaking to the Telegraph before Euro 2025, she revealed: "I've always gone through life trying to prove people wrong. I was told from a young age that I couldn't play football, that it wasn't a profession I could pursue, the doctors told my parents that.

"I'm here right now. You can't let all the scrutiny win. I think if you do that it just adds fuel to the fire and I wasn't willing to accept that. I wanted to show who I am as a person and show that [the stories] weren't always true. So I thought, 'just dig in'. I did that and I'm sat here right now. I think I can say that I've proved people wrong."

Despite Hampton's condition posing challenges off the field, she's had no such trouble during the game - even humorously noting how something as simple as pouring drinks can become a comical mishap due to her occasional lack of coordination.

She recounted to CNN last year while on Chelsea's pre-season tour in the US: "If I wanted to pour a glass of water and I'm not holding the cup that I'm pouring into, then I will miss it completely. I was pouring everyone glasses of water and I completely missed and got the whole table absolutely soaked. Everyone was just laughing at me because, obviously, they know!".