Beth Mead on her England return: ‘The things I’ve dealt with have made me a stronger person’

Mead laughs as she returns to St George’s Park after being named in the England squad

Instead of being in Australia with the Lionesses this summer, she was at home watching the World Cup on TV with captain Leah Williamson, who suffered the same injury four months after Mead. If missing the World Cup was cruel, having to watch as England narrowly lost the final to Spain was just as hard. The final was a tough watch for them both. “We struggled,” Mead admits. “We just want to help the team do the best that they can do. We got that taken away from us.”

How England are in need of the return of the Euros golden boot winner. Defeat last month to Belgium left the Lionesses in third place in their Nations League group, with top spot required to secure a place for Great Britain at the Paris Olympics next summer. England, who have lacked a spark in games since the World Cup, must now beat both the Netherlands at Wembley and Scotland at Hampden while hoping other results go their way.

Mead, who missed out on the 2020 Olympics after she was controversially left out of Hege Riise’s Team GB squad, famously sparking the form that led into the Euros the following summer, is as motivated as anyone to get the job done. Now she returns to the Lionesses with a renewed perspective, taking to each training session with a sense of fresh enthusiasm. “I feel like a kid again,” she smiled.

Mead in training ahead of facing the Netherlands on Friday

After all, the thought of returning to England was Mead’s motivation during rehab. Now Wembley also offers a meeting that perhaps Mead could not have dared for during the dark days, the chance to face Miedema on the pitch when the Lionesses host the Netherlands, now both players have recovered from their ACLs. Even thinking about those moments with the people who lived and breathed what Mead went through during rehabilitation is enough to make her emotional.

“I think it’s a nice moment for both of us,” Mead says. “It’s a hard journey – who does their ACLs at the same time?” she laughs. “We’ve seen the good and bad days from each other. But I’m proud of my journey and I’m very proud and happy to have had the support around me that I’ve had during this time. I feel very lucky and blessed to have had that.”

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