Making the Lionesses tick: Keira Walsh holds the key to England winning the Women's World Cup

A European champion at club and international level and the most-expensive women's player of all time, Walsh is set to be key for the Lionesses again

It was less than two weeks after England’s triumph at Euro 2022 when the Ballon d’Or nominees were announced, and Lucy Bronze was not happy. The full-back was included on the list, alongside fellow Lionesses Millie Bright and Beth Mead, but she could not help but point out a particularly shocking omission.

"Thanks but I don't deserve this," Bronze wrote on Instagram. "The best Lionesses player during the Euros was Keira Walsh. Should be the first English name in the list!"

It was typical of Walsh’s role that she was overlooked, with her contributions as a deep-lying playmaker so often going unnoticed. But in the last year, it feels like that recognition has really started to be heaped onto a player who certainly deserves it.

A couple of months after the Euros ended, the 26-year-old became the most-expensive player in the history of women’s football as Barcelona, the 2021 European champions, saw it fit to pay a record-breaking fee for her talents.

Walsh has since lifted that Women’s Champions League trophy for the first time, as well as a couple of domestic honours, and is mixing it with some of the best midfielders in the world – all while still winning big praise for her own qualities. Indeed, Caroline Graham Hansen, one of her team-mates in Catalunya, said recently that Barca are “very lucky to have her”.

Off the back of a wonderful first season abroad, Walsh is now looking to deliver more success for England, and if the Lionesses do go on to back that European title up with a first ever Women’s World Cup triumph, there is no doubt that their talented midfield conductor will be key.

GettyQuietly impressive

A tidy player with excellent technical ability, Walsh became a fixture at Manchester City during her eight years there, with her vision and ability to execute a pass making her a deadly playmaker in a deeper role.

So often, though, it was the players in front of her that got the plaudits. Jill Scott, Izzy Christiansen, Caroline Weir and Sam Mewis all played in front of her in City’s midfield and were named to the PFA Team of the Year. Walsh never featured in the XI.

But it’s the work she does in that holding role that allows the rest of the midfield the freedom to thrive, for club and for country. There's a reason why she became basically indispensable for City, subbed off just twice in the league from the start of the 2017-18 season all the way through to the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

Sadly, she was just thriving in a position that so often doesn’t get the plaudits.

AdvertisementGettyAdding strings to her bow

That recognition started to come after the Euros. Walsh won the big trophy, was named Player of the Match in the final, made the Team of the Tournament and was named to the FIFPRO World XI, too. Oh, and she signed for Barcelona for a world-record fee.

It was a move that took her completely out of her comfort zone. The midfielder was born and raised just outside of Manchester and had always played for teams in the area. Now she was moving to a new country and joining a club with a unique style of play, one that demands the most from those in the middle of the park.

Walsh spoke a lot during the past season about it being difficult to adapt to the different things that were wanted of her at Barca, but that she’s got to grips with it all has made her a better player, one with even more to her game.

“As a player at City, I was told to stand still a lot more and to wait for the ball to come to me,” she said recently, explaining the differences. “Whereas at Barca it’s about moving all the time and most of the play goes through the middle so I always have to be an option.

“I think I’m probably fitter and sharper than I was in terms of trying to look for the ball and defensively they’re a lot more streetwise, in terms of tactical fouls and trying to slow the game down. That’s something I’ve added to my game.”

"Playing with Keira, it makes football easier,” team-mate Patri Guijarro said after the Champions League final. That’s quite a glowing review.

Getty ImagesAdapting to those around her

Part of Walsh’s growth has been about adapting to playing with different players, too. It’s something she’s done a lot over her career, of course, with her partner at the base of England’s midfield changing extremely close to the start of the Euros just last year. However, she has never had to do it on the scale that she has at Barca.

As one of Europe’s biggest clubs, the Catalans have incredible depth and, in order to compete on four fronts, they rotate a lot. In fact, Walsh was a part of nine different midfield trios when named to Barca’s starting XI this past season, sometimes playing as a lone holding midfielder, sometimes as one of two and very often alongside players with unique skillsets.

It's an important quality to have when it comes to tournament football, where so much can change so quickly, but also when you look at the new players in this England team.

Walsh might have new wingers or a new centre-forward to find with her defence-splitting passes, or even a new face in that No.10 role to link up with. It’s certainly a strength that she’s become used to learning to play with so many new faces in such a short space of time.

GettyGaining big experiences

All of that quality that Walsh was able to bring to the Barca team helped them to achieve what was top of their list in pre-season and win the Champions League again. It was the England star’s first time lifting the prestigious trophy and Bronze, who also joined Barca last summer, believes the whole experience has had an impact on both herself and her team-mate – and, in turn, the Lionesses.

“It’s given me a different outlook on how to play football,” she said of moving to Catalunya. “I think Keira is the same. I think the pair of us drive a different kind of standard now at England training that has never been there before.

“I think we’ve been able to add that when we’ve come back into camps, not the style of play necessarily but the expectation and the kind of the quality you expect from a team that wins trophies like Champions Leagues and playing with the best players in the world.”