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Chloe Kelly became a household name in 2022, when her extra-time winner against Germany gave England their first major international football title (male or female) since 1966 at an awe-struck Wembley.
Her signature hop-skip-and-thump technique for taking penalties has become a ritual to be feared, as it is usually followed by one thing: victory for her team.
Her kicks rocket in at a staggering speeds, with the game winning penalty kick against Nigeria in the 2023 World Cup clocking in at 110.79 km/h - faster than any goal scored in the men’s English Premier League in the preceding season.
Despite over 50 England caps, and an unfaltering record on the big occasion, Kelly has struggled with her domestic football in the recent season. A lack of game time at Manchester City preceded a fraught departure in early 2025.
She returned to her teenage club Arsenal, initially on loan, where she 2025 Champions League as the Gunners defeated Barcelona 1-0 to win their second European title.
Chloe Kelly career and stats
Kelly began her career at Arsenal, scoring her first goal just 22 minutes into her debut against Watford, before signing a full contract in 2016. In June of that year, she joined Everton on a three-month loan. Another temporary stint with the Toffees followed in July 2017 following their promotion to WSL 1 and Kelly made her switch to Merseyside permanent in
At Everton she started to gain national recognition for her skill, when she scored nine goals in 12 games in the 2019/20 WSL season, making her fourth fourth-highest scorer in the division and earning a maiden England call-up.
After rejecting a new Everton contract, Kelly moved to Manchester City in 2020. In her debut season, she scored 16 goals laid on 14 assists. Disaster struck in 2021/22 when shes suffered an ACL injury against Birmingham City.
Kelly extended for three years at City in 2022, but issued a statement on her social media at the very beginning of 2025 that she did not see her career in Manchester continuing past her allotted contract time. A loan return to Arsenal for the remainder of the season was announced the very next day. Kelly rejoined the recently crowned European champions on a permanent basis on July 2, 2025.
Internationally, before the most recent Euros campaign, Kelly has been a part of the Lionesses’ squad for UEFA Women’s Euros 2022, the Arnold Clark Cup 2023, the CONMEBOL-UEFA Women’s Finalissima 2023, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
Diminished playing time at Manchester City jeopardised her position in the England squad and she wasn’t initially selected for the 2025 Nations League. After Beth Mead was injured, she was brought back into the fold and earned her 50th cap against Portugal.
Dubbed a ‘super sub’, Kelly has consistently come onto the pitch in moments of high pressure and delivered: from the winning penalty in the Finalissima against Brazil to the decisive contributions in both Euros finals.
MORE: Women's Euro 2025 team of the tournament: The Sporting News picks best XI after England win title
Why did Chloe Kelly leave Man City?
After falling out of favour at Manchester City in 2024/25, despite the club facing significant injuries in their starting XI, and no doubt sparked by Wiegman’s comments that first team appearances were key for Kelly to regain her place in the England squad, Kelly took to social media to express her dissatisfaction and disappointment at here club “dictating whom I can and can’t join with only four months left of the football season”.
She added: "Ultimately, I just want to be happy again."
The post came amid links with a move to City's rivals Manchester United, with Brighton also reported to hold an interest.
After Kelly’s statement, and on transfer deadline day, she sealed a loan return to Arsenal for the remainder of the season.
Speaking in the aftermath of Kelly's move to Arsenal, then-City manager Gareth Taylor said: "It's been really disappointing to come to this and the ending it transpired to. We never like to hear a player has not had a good experience of being at a club and I'm sure that's not the case for the whole period, maybe just this more recent period from not playing.
"We're in a selection-based business where difficult decisions have to be made for the betterment of the team. Sometimes players can fall on the sharp end of that."
Taylor was sacked before the end of the season as City missed out on Champions League qualification.
How Chloe Kelly won Euro 2025
In the 2022 Women’s Euros, Kelly emerged from her ACL nightmare to poach the extra-time winner against Germany, sparking scenes of bedlam at Wembley. Her celebration - whipping her shirt off and waving it frantically around her head - earned her a yellow card, but also an indelible place in her nation's collective sporting memory. The image became synonymous with the grit, determination, and emotion of the Lionesses.
This time around, Kelly has again proved to be the super sub throughout the Lionesses’ Euros 2025 campaign, in which they led cumulatively for less than five minutes throughout the knockout rounds yet have managed to come away with the trophy.
First was the quarterfinals against Sweden, where she not only assisted Lucy Bronze’s goal when the Lionesses were 2 - 0 down, but also scored the deciding penalty in the ensuing shootout.
The semifinals against Italy were a similar story. She then stepped up for the penalty after Beth Mead was taken down. The picture of deadly calmness, she took her shot... and it was saved. But Kelly reacted quickest to convert the rebound, booking England a final’s spot.
The pressure of the 2025 finals did not phase Kelly, as she stepped up once again for the deciding penalty and smashed it past Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll.
"I don't miss penalties twice," Kelly said afterwards, referring to her quickly corrected failure against Italy. She'd done it again and England were European champions again.
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