The Best Fifa Women’s Goalkeeper in the world. Sports Personality of the Year. Mary, Queen of Stops. After another winning year, the Lionesses’ not-so-secret weapon opens up about her decision to speak out about that Nike football shirt, walking the tightrope between success and burnout, and learning the power of being herself
If one’s choice of beverage offers some insight into where they’re at in any given moment, then Mary Earps’s several-hours-old mug of English breakfast – recently reheated in the microwave – speaks volumes. ‘I don’t know if that’s an ick?’ she laughs, shaking her head. ‘But that’s how busy today has been.’ ABBC interview preceded our call, no doubt discussing the 30-year-old Lioness and Manchester United goalkeeper’s nomination for Sports Personality of the Year, announced the next day. Her triumphant victory surprised no one. Millions fell for ‘Mary, Queen of Stops’, thanks to her Golden Glove-winning skill, palpable passion and swaggy, sweary celebration when she saved a penalty from Spain’s Jenni Hermoso in the 68th minute of last summer’s World Cup final.
Fittingly, she earned actual Royal approval, too – being granted an MBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours list, recognised alongside fellow Lionesses Lauren Hemp and Millie Bright. That our cover star is a woman in demand was underscored again as this issue was going to press, when the back pages were swirling with speculation over the identity of Mary’s next club, with Paris Saint-Germain the suspected favourite to snap her up in the January transfer window, over fellow purportedly interested parties Arsenal and Barcelona.
But back to that microwaved-brew-kind-of-Monday when we speak: the day saw the Lioness goalkeepers’ shirts go on sale for the second time, reportedly selling out on England’s online store within five minutes. The privilege of purchasing Mary’s shirt (along with the fellow England keepers’) was only made possible by her decision to publicly call out the kit’s sponsor, Nike, for not making the goalkeeper’s shirt available – just as the highest-profile Women’s World Cup in history kicked off. It was audacious. It was spicy. It was the sort of thing that, in most interviews, I’d broach delicately after the interviewee was ‘warmed up’. No need today. ‘No small talk, that’s perfect,’ she says, when I warn, up top, that our limited time together precludes any niceties. ‘Fire away.’
Game plan
So… shirtgate. Was it hard to stand up for herself with the whole world watching? ‘It was definitely hard,’ she says, before clarifying her motivations. ‘It was sad on a personal note that my friends and family couldn’t buy
