23 August 2023 , 14:26
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Beth Mead vowed to bounce back from her injury heartbreak and help haul her hurting Lionesses to more major trophies.
The Arsenal striker, 28, was forced to miss this summer’s World Cup with an ACL injury and watched her England teammates suffer an agonising 1-0 defeat against Spain in Sunday’s final.
Mead grabbed the golden boot and player of the tournament prizes during last year’s memorable Euro 2022 triumph and is now setting her sights on a domestic return when Jonas Eidevall’s title-chasing Gunners get their season underway.
The Whitby-born ace loved watching Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses – also without injured captain Leah Williamson and playmaker Fran Kirby – navigate their way to Sunday’s Sydney showpiece and insists her return to the fold can propel them to more European or World Cup glory in the future.
She said: “I'm super proud of how the Lionesses have done throughout this tournament.They've gone through adversity, injury and formation changes and still got themselves to a World Cup final.
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“I know they'll be feeling heavy-hearted, disheartened and disappointed right now, but I know when the dust settles they'll be super proud of what they've done, and I'm certainly right behind them in being super, super proud.
“They're just incredible humans and a pleasure to watch and follow. Fingers crossed I come back into the set up at some point and we have lots more trophies and a lot more to show come from this Lionesses team.
“I'm looking forward to getting involved, getting amongst it all and hopefully winning some more trophies in the near future.”
Wiegman’s side overcame a shaky start to breeze through the group stages before battling past Nigeria in a heart-thumping penalty shoot-out.
They toppled Colombia in the quarter-finals before a scintillating Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo-inspired triumph stunned hosts Australia to book their place in a second consecutive major final. But a date with Spain proved a step too far as Olga Carmona’s first-half strike broke English hearts in front of a bumper, 12 million-plus TV audience back home.
That included Mead, who now hopes England’s unforgettable exploits in Australia can help continue to drive the women’s game to even greater heights.
“England grew into the tournament, helped inspire the next generation and grow the women's game even further,” added Mead, speaking at an event at Youngs FC, an inclusive football club from North West London formed in 2016 that were able to establish a new Under-13s girls team following last summer’s Euros with help from National Lottery funding.
“Hopefully the next season coming will be even bigger and better – everyone is so, so invested about how they go about it.”
National Lottery players have transformed women and girls’ football in the UK, with more than £50 million invested in the last 10 years alone. Find out how your numbers make amazing happen at: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk #MakeAmazingHappen #ThanksToYou