England stopper Hampton voted ‘BBC Women's Footballer of the Year’
Chelsea and England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has been voted ‘BBC Women's Footballer of the Year 2025’ following a stand-out 12 months for club and country.
Hampton helped Chelsea win a domestic treble last season, keeping 13 clean sheets in 22 Women's Super League games. And after becoming England's first choice goalkeeper, the 25-year-old saved two penalties in a shootout in the final against Spain, as the Lionesses won Euro 2025.
England team-mate Alessia Russo finished second and Spain's Aitana Bonmati was third in the public vote. Spain duo Patri Guijarro and Mariona Caldentey were also contenders chosen by a panel of experts, including coaches, players, administrators and journalists, based on performances over 12 months from September 2024 to August 2025.
"I definitely didn't expect it with all the other players nominated," the Birmingham-born ‘keeper said.
"I think they've all had unbelievable years." Hampton is only the second goalkeeper to win the award after former England colleague Earps did so in 2023.
Hampton (25) found herself in the middle of a media storm last month when Earps - who retired from international football after losing the England number one shirt to Hampton - made claims about her in her autobiography. Earps said that Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman rewarded "bad behaviour" by recalling Hampton to the squad in 2023, claiming Hampton had been dropped for being "disruptive and unreliable".
When asked about the scrutiny she has faced in the past few weeks, Hampton said: "People are entitled to their opinions.
“People can say whatever they want to say. It's down to myself whether I want to let that affect me. I definitely know it's not going to.
"I'm not going to sit here and knock people for what they have to say, that's their life, that's their judgement. I'm just going to focus on myself, that's all I can do.
"I want to achieve a lot more in the game and I can't dwell on people's thoughts. That's going to hinder me, not help me." The Lionesses won two penalty shootouts on their way to defending their European crown in Switzerland, and Hampton's contributions were key.
After England came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Sweden in the quarter-finals, she saved two spot-kicks in a marathon 3-2 shootout victory. And in the final against Spain, which ended 1-1, Hampton denied both Caldentey and Bonmati from the penalty spot as the Lionesses triumphed 3-1.
"It was my way of giving back to the team,” Hampton said.
“They've run around for the 120 minutes to make it go that far and they've helped defend heroically in moments that we've needed it throughout the game. It was my moment to be like, this is what I can do for you guys and help us achieve the dream that we wanted to achieve from the moment we set out in the Euros campaign.
"To put on an England badge is a special and proud moment. You never take it for granted."
After replacing Earps, Hampton overcame the enormous weight of pressure and expectation to help England defend their European crown in Switzerland. "I knew that if England got knocked out earlier, there would have been a lot more spotlight on me," she said.
"I just thought, you know what, just go and enjoy your football. I've always said I perform better when I enjoy it."
To compound matters, Hampton learned of the death of her grandfather just two days before the tournament began. "When I then got the news about my grandad, that gave me that extra push to go and show everyone what I can do because that was our dream together," she said.
"I think people forget that we are just human beings. We all have feelings, we all have our own struggles that we're going through outside of football, outside of the football pitch.
"You just have to focus on yourself and keep yourself going. As hard as it is, especially for me coming to terms with losing a relative who you love dearly and you're very close to, having not fully grieved.
"You've then got all the other stuff that's piled on top. It doesn't always help."
It's been a year of highs and lows, but Hampton is grateful for the work of her predecessors in raising the profile of female goalkeepers. "It still doesn't quite sink in that people call you England number one," Hampton said.
"It's a lonely position, but it's also very rewarding. You could be the hero at moments and you could also be the villain at moments.
"The keepers before me Carly Telford, Karen Bardsley, Mary Earps, even before that, they've changed the perception of women's goalkeeping. I'm just another body in that that's obviously helped change the way along with Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse at the moment.
"Women's goalkeeping has definitely taken off, we're trying to change perceptions slowly but surely."