On the afternoon of Wednesday 2 April, Arsenal's Michelle Agyemang was sitting pitchside at St George's Park, watching her England Beneath-19 teammates cruise to a European Championship qualifier victory in opposition to Belgium, unable to play due to suspension.
With the senior Lionesses additionally primarily based on the nationwide soccer centre that week, the England supervisor, Sarina Wiegman, and lots of of her employees got here alongside to watch the 6-0 win and several other of the England gamers – together with the captain, Leah Williamson – chatted with Agyemang within the seating space. Little might the 19-year-old have recognized that, simply over three months later, she could be the Lionesses' saviour – twice – within the knockout levels of Euro 2025.
A 12 months in the past, Agyemang scored a hat-trick for England on the Beneath-19 European Championship however few might have been daring sufficient to foretell she would burst into the nation's hearts on the grander stage so quickly. But, that week in April, occasions had been about to unfold that will rework not solely her summer time fortunes however England's too.
On the Saturday Agyemang scored in a robust efficiency to assist the under-19s to defeat Austria 5-1 and the next day she was drafted into the senior squad for the primary time to cowl for the injured Alessia Russo. A number of days later she made her senior England debut, approaching in opposition to Belgium within the eightieth minute and scoring 41 seconds later with solely her second contact.
In Switzerland this summer time she has confirmed why she is so particular. With the Lionesses struggling for type – and objectives – of their defence of the European Championship they gained in 2022 she has twice come on to avoid wasting them from elimination. Within the quarter-final in opposition to Sweden, England had been 2-0 down when Agyemang changed Georgia Stanway after 70 minutes, scoring the all-important equaliser earlier than the Lionesses gained on penalties. Within the semi-final in opposition to Italy, she entered the fray as late because the eighty fifth minute and equalised deep into added time. Chloe Kelly scored the winner in further time and England now have the prospect to defend their crown on Sunday in Basel.
Agyemang, who grew up within the Essex city of South Ockendon, with dad and mom of Ghanaian descent, was not even born when England hosted Euro 2005 however she has lengthy been tipped to achieve the highest and has been enjoying for Arsenal's age-group groups because the age of six. Soccer isn't the one factor in Agyemang's life. She is finding out enterprise administration at King's School London, as a part of its sport and wellness programme. She was “introduced up on gospel music” and revealed after England's win in opposition to Sweden that she has brought her piano over. “The kitman introduced it over in a van. It's calm and enjoyable,” she mentioned. “Lottie [Wubben-Moy, her Arsenal and England teammate] requested me to play for her – she got here to my room and I performed a number of issues for her, which was good.”
If ever the Soccer Affiliation wished an instance of the advantages of integrating the entire youth worldwide and senior sides collectively at St George's Park, and of the benefits of the interconnected pathway and dialogue between senior and youth-pathway coaches, Agyemang grabbing her golden alternative in that week in April with each palms was it.
Sure, it's true that it can't have been in Wiegman's plans for Russo to choose up a knock throughout that April camp in order that an adolescent would should be referred to as upon for the journey to Belgium, and the Dutchwoman could be the primary to confess that. The concept of Agyemang scoring essential objectives this summer time to assist propel England to their third consecutive main last was absolutely not one she imagined. It is usually true, although, that England's pathway coaches have admired Agyemang for years and she or he has lengthy been tipped as a senior star.
Within the Girls's Tremendous League, nonetheless, she was getting comparatively few moments to shine throughout her season-long mortgage spell with Brighton, for whom she made 17 WSL appearances final time period however simply three begins, scoring thrice within the 576 minutes she featured on the pitch.
Requested about Agyemang's abilities, throughout England's full-squad media day at St George's Park in June, Williamson mentioned: “I keep in mind the primary time she performed as a result of she got here and flattened me in coaching. I used to be too sluggish on it and I feel I gave her a little bit of stick about it, however in my head I assumed: ‘She's bought one thing about her'. [She is] somebody who you possibly can't give a second to.
“In coaching [in June], I used to be screaming for a go and she or he put it high bins and I assumed: ‘I ain't going to say nothing'. So my first impression was, she let me know she was there, which I like. As a younger participant coming by way of, you are able to do all the flowery flicks and tips you need, however any person must learn about you, and you have to inform folks that you simply're there, and that's what she does.”
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Ask anybody near the England squad and you'll hear related tales of Agyemang firing highly effective photographs into the highest nook at England's coaching base on the outskirts of Zurich throughout this match, whereas others additionally converse of a well mannered, unassuming and well-spoken teenager who conducts herself with a maturity far past her years.
Rising up, fittingly one of many teenager's idols was Theo Walcott, the previous Arsenal ahead who was the shock last-gasp inclusion in England's males's 2006 World Cup squad. Nonetheless, the distinction is that Walcott – then aged 17 – was not given any match minutes in that match by Sven-Göran Eriksson whereas Wiegman has entrusted Agyemang to be a gamechanging substitute.
With three objectives from her 4 senior appearances, her fearless and composed performances – she additionally hit the crossbar in opposition to Italy with an audacious effort – have been so robust that Wiegman was requested in her post-match press convention about whether or not Agyemang's shows had been forcing her to rethink whether or not she ought to play much more.
The pinnacle coach replied: “She's not forcing me. She may be very grateful that she will get minutes. She's prepared for it. Her development and growth went so rapidly. From not beginning at Brighton, to getting heaps extra minutes, displaying how good she is, and coming into our staff, as issues go it has been fairly easy for her and I feel she feels superb about that.”
To explain her rise as speedy could be an unlimited understatement. Not even 4 years in the past, Agyemang was a ballgirl at Wembley for Wiegman's first match on the nationwide stadium. She is going to absolutely play a task, a method or one other, within the Lionesses' European last in Basel on Sunday, now not watching on from the sidelines however now rapidly turning into a family title.
