From Hannah Hampton to Lando Norris, our experts give their view on why each nominee is a worthy winner
No sporting event in 2025 gripped England quite like the Lionesses’ Euros success and that euphoria would not have happened without Hannah Hampton’s saves. Long before Hampton dived the correct way to stop two Spain penalties in the final, including one from the world’s best player Aitana Bonmatí, she had produced heroics, without which the team would have flown home disappointingly early.
Hampton expertly prevented England from falling 3-0 down against Sweden in the quarter-final and went on to make two shootout saves. In the semi-final, moments before England snatched their late equaliser against Italy, Hampton had kept them in the competition – again – with a crucial double save. In the group stage she had sprayed the pass of the tournament upfield, going viral on social media, to help kickstart Sarina Wiegman’s team’s campaign during their thumping victory against the Netherlands. In the final she helped thwart the most potent attacking force in the sport.
Winning two shootouts in a major tournament with England, in the space of 10 days, is the stuff of legend, and unheard of in English football. If that were not enough, she also helped Chelsea win a domestic treble unbeaten and was the joint winner of the WSL’s golden glove, keeping 13 clean sheets in 22 league fixtures. She has achieved all this despite being born with a serious eye condition which affects her depth perception and meant doctors warned her she would not be able to play football. At the age of 25 she has filled the sizeable gloves of England’s previous No 1, Mary Earps, and not only coped with the pressure that brought, but thrived. Tom Garry
