Chloe Kelly has been through it all: omissions, injuries, frustration and indignation. But the latest stages of her career portray plenty more vibrance, utopia and success.
It wasn’t until she tore her anterior cruciate ligament that her career took a turn for the worst - but only temporarily, of course.
In a game against Birmingham City in the Women’s Super League back in May 2021, the harrowing injury, that affects women six times more than men, condemned Kelly from playing football for 11 months.
“Without football, I felt worthless,” she said. And it must’ve been hard for her to not only go through the mundane rehabilitation process, but to see her team playing without her as well.
Still, she found positives upon returning, citing her confidence and even stating that she felt *“like a kid again.*”
She added: “It feels so good to be back. Being back out there on the pitch has been brilliant. I feel fit, I feel confident and I feel like myself again.
“Although I know it’s going to take a while until I feel 100% and back to my best, I know it will come. It just takes time.
“When you’ve been away for so long, you appreciate football so much more and I’m just enjoying myself, looking forward to each game.”
In the summer of 2022, 455 days after suffering her career-threatening injury, Kelly scored the winner against Germany in the European Championship final to bring a major trophy back to England for the first time since 1966, when Sir Alf Ramsey led the Three Lions to World Cup triumph.
Kelly fell out of favour with manager Gareth Taylor (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Kelly fell out of favour with manager Gareth Taylor (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Her remarkable journey was just getting started at that point, but the worst was yet to come for a player who was enjoying her football more than ever up to that point.
The 2022-23 campaign was one of Kelly’s best seasons throughout her career and even when disregarding national team football, performances for City were also impressive.
She scored six goals across all competitions for City and registered 14 assists, nine in the WSL - the most in the English top-flight. She also demonstrated strong underlying talents such as high dibble success rates and high pass completion.
By all means, Kelly was the perfect winger in Taylor’s system but it was the confidence from her Euro-winning goal that injected a different lethality into her, making her one of the best prospects in the women’s game.
Her supposed downfall was tough, not just for her but for fans of the WSL as well. Despite a seemingly positive start to pre-season, she started just one of three friendlies and didn’t start in City’s crucial Women’s Champions League qualifier first-leg tie against Paris FC. In addition, she was also absent against Arsenal in the opening game of the WSL season.
Kelly’s involvement plummeted. With only six appearances throughout the first half of the 2024-25 season, she needed a saving grace to reach the pinnacle of football: representing her nation in a major tournament. In this case, the 2025 **European Championship**s. That saving grace was Arsenal.
Arsenal won their first major trophy since 2007 against Barcelona (Photo by Angel Martinez - UEFA/Getty Images)
Arsenal won their first major trophy since 2007 against Barcelona (Photo by Angel Martinez - UEFA/Getty Images)
“[*We had] a conversation with thoughts, feelings and questions from both ends, and it was very good,*” said Arsenal head coach Slegers upon Kelly’s arrival.
“We both opened up — I tried to open up about what Arsenal is and what she could mean for us, and she opened up about what she can bring to us and what her ambitions are, so it was a very good conversation.”
Kelly’s spell at Arsenal didn’t feel like a loan, but more so permanent. It’s inevitable that, according to reports recently, she will pen a deal to become a fully-fledged Gunners player.
The highlight of her time in N7 was without a doubt the recent Champions League triumph — their first since 2007 – and the greatest moment of her club career.
Kelly looks back at this campaign and says she got her “smile back” but, as always, that wasn’t the end of the colour and bliss.
On Thursday, Kelly received a call-up for Wiegman’s Euro 2025 squad after initially being left out of the February Nations League matches, but a quick turnaround in form when she joined Arsenal was the answer for Wiegman as she slotted straight into the star-studded side.
Kelly was also called up to the most recent round of Nations League games, and scored in the 6-0 victory against Portugal at Wembley a week ago.