Ellen White has made it her goal to replace the bronze medal hanging on her bedroom door with a shiny new gold one at this summer’s World Cup.
The 29-year-old has been using the third-place prize she picked up from Canada in 2015 as her main source of motivation in the run up to the tournament and is confident Phil Neville’s side can be victorious out in France.
White has been included in her third consecutive World Cup squad and will form an integral part as one of the more experienced members of the group.
England will play two more warm-up games against Denmark and New Zealand before embarking on their mission in June and White is clear in her mind that bringing the trophy home is the primary objective.
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She said: “I still have my bronze medal from 2015 hanging up on my bedroom door so I use that as motivation to improve, not just myself, but the country that I play for.
“This is going to be the biggest and the best World Cup that there has ever been so we need to take each game as it comes when we get there.
“The group is a tough one but we haven’t shied away from saying that we can go there, do well, and win it.
“I’d really like to replace that bronze medal too – that would be really nice.
“We have never shied away from the fact that we want to be number one in the world and that means beating the best countries.
“The two teams ranked above us [USA and Germany] are very good and we need to consistently beat those types of teams and do it at big tournaments if we want to be the best in the world.”
The striker has accumulated 80 caps and scored 28 goals for her country since she made her debut almost a decade ago and has overseen a monumental rise in popularity of the women’s game during that time.
Increased funding and a shift to full-time professional status has allowed many clubs to focus on the development of young players and the Lionesses are reaping the rewards.
Keira Walsh, 22, and 20-year-old Georgia Stanway were both on the scoresheet as Manchester City beat West Ham in the SSE Women’s FA Cup Final and have also been named in the World Cup squad.
The healthy blend of youth and experience in Neville’s ranks could be a winning formula but whatever happens in France, White holds optimism about the new wave of players in this country.
“We had some unbelievable players in the team when I first joined, and it was a privilege when I earned my debut, but the team has grown so much now in terms of professionalism,” said White, who scored in the 2-1 win over Spain last time out.
“Back then many of the team had part-time jobs and now we are training day-in day-out which is great.
“There is a lot of youth in this squad but also a lot of experience with players that have been to major tournaments, so we have a fantastic balance.
“Keira is now an established player, Georgia has been with us this season and Lauren [Hemp] came out with us to the SheBelieves Cup for some experience and she is a lovely girl with some amazing ability.
“I am so proud to be able to watch them do so well on the big-stage and it will only bode well for the English game and the FA WSL – the future is very bright for women’s football.”
