‘We’re not going anywhere. I’m not going anywhere.’
4:30am start. Train to Stansted airport. Flight. Taxi straight from El Prat airport to catch up with two of our Lionesses. Not really your usual day in the office. But that’s the fortunate position [AOF] found ourselves in earlier this year.
Personable, chatty, down to earth. From Rochdale to Barcelona, Keira Walsh is a breath of fresh air and a force to be reckoned with. We flew out armed with our reworked FCB scarf gilet, complete with memories capturing her rise to footballing glory. We wanted to celebrate the success of Walsh, as a player, as a Lioness, and as a role model.
She spoke about that Euro's win, and the fact that it still ‘hasn’t quite sunk in’, which we reckon is probably relatable for the fans too judging by the excitement and nostalgia that the Finalissima win at Wembley evoked.
We covered moments from her Dad’s influence on the naming of her childhood pet fish, Walsh’s roots lead back to Manchester City, which shone through as we discussed her childhood Man City shirt embroidered into the gilet. It’s hard not to smile as Walsh highlights her appreciation of her roots, which makes where she is now all the more special. She highlights her ‘love for Rochdale’, but equally highlighting how insane the shift to Barca feels, which feels relatable for anyone who’s moved away from their base family home, but still appreciates that history in a comfort blanket-eque type of way.
It makes a lot of sense that ex-Man City coach Nick Cushing said, in reference to Walsh, that ‘some players are almost touched by God’. With support from her childhood coach, Chris Burnham, Walsh is making her stamp across international football, developing her play at Barcelona in the aftermath of her legacy at Manchester City. We’ve had request, on request, on request on our social media to build a design around Walsh, highlighting just how popular she is with fans of the sport. Call us biased, but you simply can’t knock her.
After this catch up, Walsh headed off to the rest of her day, ending it by playing, and defeating, Roma in the evening with FCB. This woman’s talent, motivation, and general charisma highlight Walsh as a force to be reckoned with, and it feels like we haven’t even seen the peak of what she can achieve.
And Keira, if you ever fancy a new tattoo design, you know where to find us. It would be a pleasure.