Change The Record is a GLAMOUR series dedicated to profiling and celebrating British sports stars. These women are flipping the narrative on what it means to be an elite female athlete, from competing on their periods to balancing training with pregnancy and motherhood, navigating body image pressures, and yes, chasing world records.
Here, we chat with Ella Toone about preparations for the Women's Euros in Switzerland this summer, her friendship with Beth Mead and Alessia Russo, and how she's bounced back from injury.
There's something about Ella Tooney. When she's on the pitch, the energy changes. There's a feeling that anything could happen. And by ‘anything’, I of course mean an absolute beauty of a goal.
She is, for example, the first England player – ever – to score in a quarter-final, semi-final, and final of a major tournament. Indeed, her efforts helped blast the Lionesses to victory in the UEFA European Women's Championships in 2022 and a history-making second-place finish at the Women's World Cup in 2023, ushering England into a new era of women's football.
At club level, Ella is already fast approaching legend status at Manchester United, with her No. 7 shirt being the top-selling United Women's jersey. After injuring her calf in training last year, Ella returned to club football with a magnificent goal during an FA Cup match against West Brom in January. This was a particularly special moment given that it was her first goal since her father, Nick, passed away in September 2024.
In conversation with GLAMOUR, Ella reflected on how her friendship with fellow England player Beth Mead [whose mother, June, passed away from ovarian cancer in 2023] has helped her cope with returning to football while grieving her father.
“After losing Dad and [finding] how hard it is to carry on playing football when you've just lost someone you love, to see Beth do that, go just get on with it and speak so openly about losing her mum, I think she's a role model for me,” Ella says. “As soon as it happened, she was on the phone, and I knew that when I'm at England camps, she'll always be there for me.”
The Manchester United star lends her support to many a good cause, from teaming up with Access Sport to create a full-time national scholarship programme for aspiring ballers to supporting Specsavers' Best Worst Team campaign alongside Harry Redknapp.
Below, Ella Toone's GLAMOUR interview in full:
GLAMOUR: You’ve recently come back from a calf injury. How did you cope mentally with the injury, and how does it feel to be back scoring goals?
Ella Toone: It was my first proper injury, so I really struggled to come to terms with it. But looking back, it was definitely a blessing in disguise and one that I needed at that time. I was struggling a lot mentally before, and that was my body's way of telling me I needed a break. I took the break, and I've come back mentally stronger and physically in a better place as well. I've been really enjoying my football since.
You have a wonderful friendship with Alessia Russo, both on and off the pitch. Can you talk a little bit about how you became friends and what your friendship means to you?
Alessia's friendship means the world to me. I've definitely got a friend for life and someone I can always lean on. We first met when we were about 12 or 13 at England, and I just knew I wanted to be her friend. She's such a kind and caring person; we just have a lot of fun when we're together. I know that we'll be friends for a long time.
Who do you look up to most on the England team and why?
Beth Mead. First and foremost, she's an unbelievable player, and I think her Euros [in 2022] made me realise the scale of her talent. After losing my Dad and finding out how hard it is to carry on playing football when you've just lost someone you love, to see Beth do that, just get on with it and speak so openly about losing her mum… She's a role model for me. As soon as it happened, she was on the phone and I knew that when I'm at England camps that she'll always be there for me and we understand each other and what each other is going through, and maybe one day we might be having a bad day, but at least the other person understands why.
You will soon be heading to Switzerland to defend your European title. How is the feeling in the England camp?
It's an exciting time for us and an exciting time for England. We've got a really different squad now going into this year, and we know that we've got to be on our best game. We know that everyone's been improving and everyone wants to beat us. For us, it's about going there, making sure we believe in ourselves, and being confident.
You’ve written two children’s books about being a footballer. Can you tell me more about that process and why it’s important to you to connect with young people about football?
It's really important for me to connect with young people growing up and starting their journeys. I think it's a nice way to show me off the pitch and for them to understand how much goes into making it as a professional footballer. I really enjoyed writing those books. Hopefully, they can help young girls and boys who are starting their journeys.
Your jersey is consistently the most sold women's shirt in the United Megastore. What does that mean to you?
It means everything. I never even thought that would be a thing, and that I'd be at Manchester United, and that I'd be wearing the number seven shirt. But yeah, it's a really proud moment for me to be able to do that, and I hope that I can leave a legacy and inspire young girls starting out in their journeys.
Specsavers' Best Worst Team campaign, which sees Harry Redknapp attempt to improve the fortunes of struggling football club Tunley Athletic, is fascinating. Why was it important for you to get on board?
It's a really exciting campaign for me to get involved in. I really enjoy helping people succeed and offering advice where I can. Tunley Athletic definitely needed a little bit of advice and I think I might be the right person for it.
What’s one thing you want to change the record on in women’s sports?
The main thing is the equal opportunity that women have in sport. An environment that's safe and allows young girls to start out in their journeys and to feel like they can go on and achieve what they want to achieve. Equal opportunity and an equal playing field to the men is something that we'll keep fighting for in women's sport.
The latest episode of the Specsavers' Best Worst Team series is now available to watch on YouTube, as Ella Toone is called up by Harry Redknapp to give Tunley Athletic a lesson in winning silverware. Subscribe to the Best Worst Team YouTube channel to follow the squad's journey and look out for exclusive content on Specsavers’ social media channels.
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
The Lioness and Chelsea forward talks representation, inclusivity in sport, and the power of football to bring people together.
