Hannah Hampton has won the prestigious BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award.
Hampton helped Chelsea win a domestic treble and kept 13 clean sheets in 22 league games.
She became England’s first-choice goalkeeper and saved two penalties in the Euro 2025 final against Spain.
Hannah Hampton’s past year has been anything but quiet, yet it ended with one of the biggest honours in the sport.
The Chelsea and England goalkeeper has been named the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year for 2025, a recognition of how much she has grown on and off the pitch over the last 12 months.
“I Definitely Didn’t Expect It”
Hampton was a major reason Chelsea pulled off a domestic treble, keeping 13 clean sheets in 22 league matches. She also stepped into the England No. 1 role and delivered on the biggest stage possible.
In the Euro 2025 final against Spain, she saved two penalties and helped the Lionesses defend their title. That moment alone might have sealed her place at the top of the public vote.
Alessia Russo finished second and Spain’s Aitana Bonmati came third, with Patri Guijarro and Mariona Caldentey rounding out the shortlist chosen by a panel of coaches, players, and journalists.
Hampton told BBC Sport,
I definitely didn’t expect it with all the other players nominated. I think they’ve all had unbelievable years.
"I've got big gloves and big shoes to fill."@hannahhampton_ wants to build on the legacy of @Lionesses goalkeepers who have gone before her 🙌
The Chelsea and England number one has been voted BBC Women's Footballer of the Year 2025. pic.twitter.com/rqy329exVi
She becomes only the second goalkeeper to win the award, following Mary Earps in 2023.
Difficult Road
Hampton’s rise has come with plenty of noise. Last month, Earps wrote in her autobiography that Hampton had once been dropped from the England squad for being “disruptive and unreliable” a claim that stirred up its own storm.
Asked about it, Hampton didn’t bite.
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.
Her calm was tested in other ways, too. Only two days before the Euros began, she learned her grandfather had died. She played through grief, pressure, and constant scrutiny, yet still delivered when England needed her most.
She saved two penalties in a shootout against Sweden in the quarter-final, then did it again in the final against a Spain side full of world-class scorers.
It was my way of giving back to the team. They’ve run around for the 120 minutes… it was my moment to be like, this is what I can do for you guys.
Stepping into the England No. 1 shirt brought its own weight. She credits the keepers before her, Carly Telford, Karen Bardsley, Mary Earps, for changing how the position is viewed. Now, she’s part of that shift, alongside Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse.
It still doesn’t quite sink in that people call you England number one. Women’s goalkeeping has definitely taken off. We’re trying to change perceptions slowly but surely
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