Ahead of the first match of the WSL season, we spoke to the star striker about winning the Euros, Bottega shoes and leading the Lionesses in their anti-racism protest at the semi-finals
Read an interview with Lauren James and you’re bound to come across a line about how the Lioness and Chelsea forward prefers to let her football do the talking. She says it herself. “I just want to express myself on the pitch,” James told ITV last month.
Her performance on the pitch makes an undeniable statement. Her technical ability is unbelievable. Her control, agility, precision, finishes, creativity and strength are all among the best in the world. Commanding the ball with every part of her foot (both of them equally lethal), she turns the pitch into her own personal playground, twisting and turning with a grace that looks effortless, shooting with a power few can match.
Since joining Chelsea in 2021, she’s racked up four Women’s Super League titles, won countless player of the match and year awards, been nominated for the prestigious Ballon d’Or, and in July was part of the victorious Lioness team that won the Euros. All of this before her 24th birthday. Former Chelsea coach Emma Hayes called her “the most naturally gifted footballer in the country”. Teammate Lucy Bronze said James was the best player at this summer’s Euros “for being able to create something special”, up there with the likes of Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí.
“She doesn’t tell me that,” James says, laughing when I mention Bronze’s comments to her. “I find out through the press!” It’s a couple of weeks before the start of the new WSL season when we talk, tucked away in a quiet corner that mirrors James’ calm, chill, private vibe. How does it feel to hear compliments like that from such a legend of the sport? “Massive. She’s played for pretty much all the top clubs, she’s won a lot of trophies, she’s played with many great players – the best players in the world. So to get that praise off Lucy, I must be doing something right.”
It was at the Euros that James made a statement of a different nature on the pitch. Before their semi-final match against Italy, the Lionesses chose to not take the knee in protest of the anti-racism gesture not doing enough or going far enough. Just days prior, defender Jess Carer had released a message on social media about the racism she had been experiencing (two men have since been arrested in connection with the online abuse). Previous tournaments have seen similar racist abuse from England fans towards both the men’s and women’s teams. It was James who led the protest.
“I actually raised it first, before Jess was receiving the abuse. And then as soon as she announced she was getting it, we had a little meeting. We said, do the players just stand if they’re the ones receiving it? Or do we all do it?” she explains. “Honestly, it’s more powerful if everyone does it. We made it clear that if you feel comfortable, then do it – it’s up to you. But we had everyone on board, it was a collective decision. It shows you that this team is behind you as well, which then allows you to be able to go on the pitch and play.”
The match previous – a quarter-final win over Sweden – had concluded with a penalty shoot-out during which James missed her shot. Following the game, Carter spoke of the “relief” she felt when several of her white teammates also missed penalties because of the “astronomical” racism she knew would be directed at James otherwise. The same thoughts had been running through James’ head. “I was unfortunately hoping someone else would miss, because you don’t want to be the only one that receives abuse because of your colour. Obviously I want my teammates to do well, but in that situation I was hoping they would miss, which isn’t a nice thing,” she says.
The Lionesses went on to win their match against Italy and then beat Spain in the final following another tense penalty shootout to lift the Euros trophy once more. It was the first major victory for James in an England shirt and while the win was sweet, it was tempered by both the online abuse and the injuries that she had been dealing with prior to and throughout the tournament, first her hamstring and then an ankle injury which left her in what she describes as a “ridiculous” amount of pain. Although she tried to play through it in two matches, the injury ultimately cut her final short and means that she’ll miss the start of the 2025/26 WSL season.
It’s understandable, then, that she describes her tournament as having ups and downs. “I had to overcome another injury to even get to the tournament, so that was hard. I was just grateful to be there really, and then unfortunately I picked up another injury in the quarter-final. It does [affect the celebration], without you even realising. It’s hard to fully celebrate, but you don’t want to look like the moody one in the room.”
Despite the setbacks, one gets the sense that it won’t take James long to bounce back. I ask what she does when she needs a bit of a confidence boost. “If I’m having a rough patch, I just watch myself on YouTube,” she says, straight-faced for a beat before we both break out into laughter. But who wouldn’t be tempted to watch a highlight reel of all your best moments if given the chance? Especially when they are so plentiful that in 2023 the New York Times recommended gorging on videos “of Lauren James gold like one used to in the New Releases aisle of Blockbuster…scores of aptly-titled clips of the player who can flow like a comet, whose boots feel speckled with stardust.”
Away from the pitch, music (Burna Boy, Asake, the new Justin Bieber album) is a big part of James’ routine, and she also enjoys shopping and fashion. She’s drawn to unique and custom pieces: hard to find items that you won’t see on everyone walking down the street. She strategically withholds the name of one designer who recently reworked two pairs of her trousers into one (“I’ll tell you after!” she says laughing), but is more forthcoming about her current favourite trainers: “I like Bottegas”. It’s these things, alongside spending time with “her people” that help her stay sane and stay focused, and ultimately, contribute to her game. “You’ve got to be happy off the pitch to perform on it,” she says. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone who’s not happy off it and then can score every week. It’s a massive part, having the correct wellbeing and being able to perform your best.”
When she does get back to full fitness, she’s returning to a team that’s in their second season with new manager Sonia Bompastor, who joined from Olympique Lyon following Hayes’ departure from the club after 12 years. James says that it’s always challenging when you’re first getting to know a new manager but that the trust is now there. “Since I started to play and get in the rhythm with her, I definitely feel comfortable and she’s allowed me to have that confidence to grow as well.”
Trust and confidence are key to James’ game which relies on her having the freedom and space to pull off her unpredictable and, as Hayes called it, “maverick” moves. It’s a style of play that keeps her opponents guessing, and even sometimes herself. “I probably don’t know what I’m going to do a lot of the time. I do create out of nothing, or create whatever the opposition gives me and make something count on them.” Other key components are her strength, which James says comes naturally (“everyone brings different things and that’s certainly one of mine”), and a cheeky playfulness – something she picked up from playing with boys a lot when she was growing up. “It was a bit of a free-for-all, you kind of have to worm your way out of trouble,” she says. “You need to keep [that joy] when you play. If you don’t, there’s not really a point in doing it.”
It’s for this reason that she always tells young players asking for advice to smile and stay true to themselves. As a young, immensely talented and high-profile athlete, she has many kids looking up to her as a role model, something which she has channelled into the LJ10 Scholarship, a programme she launched in 2024 for young girls from minority backgrounds in football which aims to address the lack of diversity in the women’s game. As the profile and popularity of women’s sports, particularly football, continues to sky rocket – 65,000 fans turned up to watch the Lioness’s victory parade in July, compared to the 7,000 after the 2022 win – the opportunities for female players are growing. But the rise has also brought attention and scrutiny to the players in their personal lives, which takes getting used to, and isn’t always welcome.
“Even in the sandwich shop around the corner people stop and stare. And I’m like, ‘Why are they looking?’ It’s weird, I’m still getting used to it.” As well as staring, James says people will often come over and touch her without asking or take photos of her on the sly. Social media and fan culture have created an environment where some people feel entitled to the time and attention of their faves, and feel extremely let down when these parasocial interactions don’t meet their expectations. It’s something James is still coming to terms with.
“There is pressure in always having to say yes. If you say no, people can be like, ‘Oh she’s rude or she doesn’t have time for fans’. There are times when we need our own space. I’ve been on holiday and been approached at breakfast and I’m like, I’ve got scrambled eggs all over my mouth, I just want to eat in peace! You can’t really relax because you’re aware that people have their phones out.”
For now, James is looking ahead to the upcoming season, her main goals to stay healthy, play as many games as she can, and help the team win as many trophies as they can. After an impressive three last year, there’s one big one that has evaded Chelsea season after season and will be on everyone’s minds: the Champions League. Aside from that, James says she’s “too chilled out” to be particularly bothered about any big ‘rivalries’, though she does enjoy playing the big teams – and, of course, beating them (and if she winds up their fans along the way, that’s just a bonus, she jokes).
“When you just love the game, you always want to win. If there’s a trophy in front of you, even if you’ve won it before, you’re always going to want to win again. There are still a few I haven’t won yet – the World Cup, the Champions League. As long as they’re in front of me I’d like to achieve them.”