Lucy Staniforth Professional Footballer

Lucy Elizabeth Staniforth is an English footballer who plays as a central attacking midfielder, for Birmingham City and England. She has been described by former England coach Mark Sampson as: "one of the best young players in Europe".

VIDEO:

Lucy Staniforth: I had a feeling I was going to score!

Following the 6-0 loss to England in Euro 2017, Chloe Arthur spoke of the collective determination to bounce back against Portugal in their second game of the tournament.

Lucy Staniforth revealed that she had a pre-match feeling she was going to score against Japan - and that came true! The Birmingham City star fired home the opener as England Lionesses won the SheBelieves Cup for the first time in Tampa on Tuesday.

SUMMARY:

Former Sunderland captain Lucy Staniforth was signed from the Black Cats on a two-year-deal.

The attacking midfielder was a firm favourite with the Black Cats fans and was named named the Supporters' Player of the Season at the end of her final campaign for the club.

Her performances also didn't go didn’t go unnoticed by England boss Phil Neville who handed Staniforth her first Senior England call up in June 2018.

Born in York, Staniforth made her debut for Sunderland when she was just 16-years-old and helped the club to the FA Women’s Premier League North title and 2009 Women’s FA Cup final.

She emerged as a key player in Sunderland's success and was a mainstay of the side as they finished fifth in their first season back at the top level.

As an 18-year-old she made the switch to Lincoln Ladies where she quickly established herself as a prominent figure, starting every game for the WSL outfit in her first season.

After a brief spell with Bristol Academy she was snapped up by reigning WSL Champions Liverpool for a significant transfer fee.

She returned to Sunderland in January 2016 and was quickly made club captain ahead of the 2017/18 season.

Football is very much a family affair too. Her father Gordon played for York City and Hull City whilst her brother played for Sheffield Wednesday.

International

Staniforth featured for England in their fourth-place finish at the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in New Zealand, scoring an excellent goal against Japan in the quarter final.

In July 2009 Staniforth also took part in the 2009 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship in Belarus, which England won. In her time with the U-19s, she scored twice. In 2010 Staniforth helped England reach the final of the 2010 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship in FYR Macedonia, where they lost their title to France. Later that summer Staniforth played in two of England's games at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Germany.

Staniforth subsequently joined the ranks of the U-23s, making her debut against Norway in February 2012. Staniforth scored an impressive 25-yard drive in the first game of the Under-23 Four Nations La Manga Tournament, helping her team beat Sweden 2–0.

She received her first call up to the senior England squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying match against Russia at Sapsan Arena in Moscow on 8 June 2018. She gained her first cap on 4 September 2018 in a 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying match against Kazakhstan, scoring on her debut in the 66th minute. Staniforth scored the opening goal in the ultimate game of the 2019 SheBelieves Cup, helping the Lionesses beat Japan 3-0 and win the international tournament for the first time.

On 8 May 2019, Staniforth was called up to the England 23-player squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France.