Get to know our first eLioness: Lisa Manley

Full name: Lisa Manley

Date of birth: 30/04/99 (24)

From: Putney, London

England debut: Mid-2023 in a competition in Switzerland

Key achievement: In my first tournament I was unbeaten in the group and scored 38 goals and only conceded around five goals. To reach the quarter-final was a good achievement too.

Club support: Manchester United

Favourite player in world football: Growing up it was Wayne Rooney. I like Cristiano Ronaldo as well but everyone says him don’t they and I am someone who likes to be a bit different so I would say Wayne Rooney.

Favourite current England player: In the men’s team it would be Marcus Rashford and then for the Lionesses I really like Ella Toone and also Chloe Kelly, because she always delivers in those key moments.

How old were you when you started playing FIFA?

I started playing Ultimate Team in FIFA 14 so I would have been around 12 years old.

Who would make your EA FC 24 five-a-side team?

It is probably best to go with icons really. So I would have Edwin van der Sar in goal, Rio Ferdinand and Virgil van Dijk in defence, Zinedine Zidane in midfield, because he can do a bit of both defending and attacking, and then Ronaldinho is there for the skills and flair.

Who would make your EA FC 24 five-a-side team of just England players?

In a mixed team, I would go Mary Earps in goal and I would want a quick player in defence so would have Kyle Walker – plus he can play right back or right-sided centre back. You must have Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane in there and then I would play Keira Walsh in midfield as well, so I have a nice balance of men’s and women’s players.

Proud to be @EnglandGaming 's first ever eLioness. Looking forward to the season, can't wait to get started!! https://t.co/aUZ6rQBDKY pic.twitter.com/7gZtxPs9Pj

— Lisamanley15 (@LisaManley15) December 14, 2023

How does it feel to be the first eLioness?

I initially played in a tournament to represent England and it was nerve-wracking because as a kid you always wanted to represent England, whether that was in football or something else. At the time you didn’t know [playing for England in eSports] was even a thing you could do so when I had the chance to play in that tournament, I was really nervous because I knew it was a massive opportunity to represent my country. The tournament in Zurich went really well and then I was told I would be the first Lionesses.

It is a great feeling to be the first eLioness and it is a bit surreal to be thought of in that way, to be considered one of the best out there and to have the chance to wear an England shirt.

I want to do myself and my family proud and of course England as a whole proud. I hope I can go all the way this year and try to bring back some silverware.

Talk to us a bit about your journey?

I used to play for AFC Wimbledon as a kid, from under-15s until under-18s, and then I left to join Fulham but I suffered a knee injury which needed surgery. I was still playing FIFA at the time but when I got injured, because you cannot do much when you are injured, the way for me to get over the injury was to play FIFA.

I went back to football but have ended up injuring my other knee so I am still playing football locally but not as many minutes or at the same level because of the fluid on my knee.

So I guess had it not been for the injury, then you might not have been sitting here?

Yeah! At the time, it was really hard but I ended up playing more FIFA and to get anywhere in life, you have to put the time and effort in. I couldn’t do as much as I wanted to because I was focused on football so when I was injured, I could put those extra few hours in every day.

You obviously have to put the time and effort in the right way, in terms of getting a coach and things like that, but I was able to put all that time in and it helped me to become a better player and now I cherish the opportunity I have with England.

What are your hopes when it comes to being an eLioness?

At the moment, with the way esports is at the moment, some people just assume that if you are a woman then you are really bad at the game so I want to show the world that regardless of your gender, you can be as good as the men.

And In terms of competitions, I want to be at least reaching semi-finals and I want to bring back the silverware for England.