Niamh Charles, who signed a long-term partnership with Adidas last year, made her World Cup debut replacing Lucy Bronze for England&# Resounding victory 39 years over China. Photo: Adidas
Over the past few weeks, Niamh Charles has been lucky twice for the third time.
First, she made the England squad for the Women's World Cup, missing out on qualifying for both the Tokyo Olympics and last year's European Championships. She then made her major tournament debut on Tuesday in a 6-1 win over China in Adelaide while watching the Liones' first two matches in Australia from the sidelines.
These 'almost' moments helped the 24-year-old, to enter the world stage, encouraging her to improve her game.
“At that time it was definitely difficult, with this experience, but if I didn’t have it, I don’t know if I would be here now — it’s helped me get where I am today,” Charles told Telegraph Sport of those setbacks in 2021 and 2022.
Another disappointment also spurred her on: Chelsea's 4-0 loss to Barcelona in the 2021 Champions League final. She now says it made her «stronger», adding: «This final was difficult for me and the team. At the time, I didn't quite realize at the time how difficult it was, but I ended up learning a lot.
“I had a kind of year-long reflection on last year when we had the final [2021] with Barcelona. I didn’t deal with how hard this loss was for me, but last year I realized that I had to deal with my disappointment properly and make sure that I had a good pre-season. I focused on what I could control. There's always a lot of noise and opinions that you can't control, but it was about: «What can I improve every day?» «/>Niamh Charles entered her first match of the tournament as a right-back, England 4-1 against China. Photo: REUTERS/Asanka Brandon Ratnayake. Hindmarsh Stadium, replacing Lucy Bronze in the last 20 minutes of England's third Group D victory. It's been a long journey since she started playing for West Kirby Wasps while growing up in Grisby on the Wirral Peninsula.
“I loved my childhood, it was football 24/7,” she says. “I never even got into computer games, because I was always outside and kicking a soccer ball. There is nothing better than being outdoors.
“I'm very biased, but the Wirral is generally such a nice place to live. Now that I have moved to London, my safe place is always near water, because it really calms me down. I really enjoy going back to Grisby, I have many happy memories there.”
Full-back Charles admits leaving Liverpool for Chelsea, where she trained at the academy, was «scary» and pushed her «out of [her] comfort zone». But leaving home wasn't the only change — she also gradually shifted positions on the field to be part of the back row more often. > Niamh Charles faces the difficult task of displacing Lucy Bronze on the right side of the England defense, but moving to wide back gives her opportunities off the bench. Photo: Naomi Baker/FA via Getty Images
She used to be a striker and scored goals in her youth, but adapting to other positions was a common occurrence in her career.
“When I first started playing as a kid I was number 9 and then I went all the way back so by the time I finished playing with the boys I was a cornerback and then when I joined the girls team , went back to playing in the center of the middle and then I went to the wing and now I'm a full back, so I really feel like I spent my time in many positions, «says Charles.
«Now I'm really enjoying this [be on full -back]. It was hard at first, kind of learning something new, letting go of what I've been doing for so long, but now this season I've definitely felt really comfortable there.»
< p> This new shooting guard role can become even more valuable after England suddenly switched to a 3-5-2 formation with full-backs to defeat China, and they are in contention to play against Nigeria again in the match. last 16 in Brisbane on Monday. After a few misses, her moment has arrived.
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