I was OK at tennis - good enough to beat Serena Williams, definitely... But no, I don't really like playing solo sport,s so I don't think I could have got to the top. I was just decent. Maths is my true calling in life, which is bizarre.

I didn't get paid enough money really to live properly, sleeping on people's sofas and stuff, but that was the moment when I thought, 'I just wanna play football professionally; whether I get paid 10 euros or 10,000 euros, I just wanna play.'

I think it's a thing in France, and I think you see it a little bit in Spain with Atletico: the countries and the cities just absolutely love their football. It's not because they're just marketing geniuses; it's because they've made it simple.

At Sunderland, our kit was five times too big, and we got the local bus to games; in America, I got bags of Nike kit, flew to away games, and played in front of thousands of fans. It opened my eyes to what women's football could - and should - be.

It's probably the wrong way round, I know, but I just love maths and doing equations. When I was a kid, I was really good at it, so when I was seven, I asked my mum what job lets you do maths and pays you for it. She said accountancy, and that was it. I was dead set.

The players in the England team, the majority of us didn't play more than twice a week until we were 20. The younger girls are training more than that now, so in 10 years' time, when they take over from us, the quality will be so much higher. That's what I'd like to see.

If I could, I'd change the way I came up through the football ranks. I'd love to have had an academy life the way the boys have it. I think female footballers would be so much better for having that opportunity, and we'd be more effective because we would be better players.

When I'm playing football, it's what I know; it's what I'm good at. The spotlight is not just on you: you're with 10 of your team-mates. I could have done other sports, like tennis and athletics, but I like being part of a team where it's not just about you; it's about everybody.

I've had four knee surgeries in my career. I just don't do small injuries. The highs of winning are always balanced out by the lows of being injured and missing games. There was a time when I was out for nearly a year, having already been out for six months with another surgery before that.

Share This Page