Jodie Taylor is placing team success over personal glory in this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Lionesses striker won the Golden Boot with her five goals at the 2017 UEFA Women’s Euros but explained she'd trade that in to help England lift the overall trophy this time around.
“100 per cent, I would take a winner’s medal, winning the World Cup, over any personal achievement,” said Taylor, who is heading to her third senior major international tournament this summer.
“The main aim is to win a World Cup, as at the last two tournaments we have [fallen] short.”
The 33-year-old also produced for the Lionesses in the last Women’s World Cup in 2015 when Mark Sampson’s side progressed to the semi-finals and earned the bronze medal for finishing third.
And the Seattle Reign and former Arsenal striker has already tasted glory with the national team this year as she was in the England squad that lifted the She Believes Cup in March.
After participating in the tournament against some of the best in world football, the Lionesses finally got their own hands on the trophy and unsurprisingly this has urged the side on for further success this summer.
Reflecting back to when she received the news she was selected as a part of Phil Neville’s 23-player squad for this summer’s tournament Taylor expressed her delight.
“It’s obviously a huge honour and a privilege to be selected for England and to be a Lioness,” she said.
“To be selected for a World Cup is an incredible feeling. I was fortunate to go to the last World Cup as well so to be selected again is a major achievement and a very proud moment.”
Taylor is among a handful of Lionesses who ply their trade overseas as she represents Reign FC in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States.
Playing abroad means plenty of her club-mates are of various nationalities, some of whom Taylor may come up against during this summer’s tournament – possibly in a fortnight’s time with Rumi Utsugi in the Japan squad, or the Australians Steph Cayley, Lydia Williams and Elise Kellond-Knight in the knockout stages.
Taylor addressed the ‘friendly banter’ she would have which her club mates if they were to meet in the tournament.
“We’re all friends and we all respect each other,” she said.
“If I were to face any of my teammates it will be fine; [there] may be some friendly banter but there’s a lot of respect there.”
England kick-off their World Cup in Nice against Scotland on Sunday 9 June. It kicks-off at 5.45pm and you can watch live on BBC One.
