Unpredictability and the unknown: Ellie Roebuck's resurgence

“Whether it was possible or not, it’s the reason I’m probably still playing football, to play for my country. It’s the most important thing in my football career. It's top priority.”

Those are the words of Ellie Roebuck, fresh off the back of her full recall to the Lionesses senior squad for the first time since October 2023.

Over two years after finding out she’d had a stroke, aged 24, which left her questioning whether she’d ever pull on the gloves again, a ‘surreal’ feeling was how she described her return on the back of what the Aston Villa goalkeeper – who was called up as an injury replacement in November – described as a rollercoaster few years.

“It was maybe about six months where I didn’t play football fully,” she began. “That’s not just that I didn’t play football – that’s not being able to do gym and when you have a normal injury, you can still be in the gym strengthening other parts but I couldn’t do anything.

“I did a lot of vestibular training and re-training my brain to learn movements again. It’s complex because it’s unknown – nobody has probably ever gone through this and tried to return to diving around.”

Rewind to 31 July 2022. The Sheffield-born stopper was on top of the world, a medal around her neck and a European champion after England won UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 on home soil, beating Germany in a fairytale match-up at Wembley.

From one tournament to another, Roebuck retained her place in the squad the following year for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, part of the team that finished as runners-up out in Australia.

“They’re probably the best experiences of my life,” she continued. “I’ve said this before but I think until you really have something that gives you perspective, you’re not necessarily as grateful as you probably should be for those moments.”

But just six months later, she suffered a left occipital infarct – a type of stroke caused by a clogged artery in the brain which was linked to a minor heart defect. She later discovered she had a small hole in her heart after undergoing surgery which eventually closed up.

She revealed the news in March 2024, having missed the majority of the campaign for Manchester City – the club she joined at age 15 and made her breakthrough on the professional stage.

“I just felt unwell for a few weeks – probably around six weeks,” she remembered. “Just really weird symptoms that aren’t typically what a stroke would be. I suffered with quite a lot of dizziness and nausea and just not feeling right.

“Eventually, I managed to get a head scan after some confusion. It was like, ‘you’ve had a stroke’ which is not what you want to hear at the age of 24 at the time.

“It was pretty mad, coming off the back of the World Cup and playing for one of the best clubs in the country. Getting that news was really tough. You’re just thrusted into the unknown of what that looks like. Would I be able to play football again? Would I not?”

Roebuck eventually departed the club at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, with over 100 appearances, one WSL title, three FA Cups and three League Cup triumphs to her name.

Having last turned out for City in May 2023, she completed a switch to Barcelona in the summer of 2024. A fresh start amid her ongoing recovery – a ‘tough’ and ‘unpredictable’ process.

“I fell in love with football so young, so for me, you can’t just give that up,” she emphasised. “There would be so many regrets held with that.

“It’s been a long time. I’d still say getting back to this camp is one of my biggest achievements, throughout all the medals and everything because I know what it’s taken over the past two-and-a-half years and the drain it’s had on the people around me. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows every day.

“It’s why I play football, to be honest. You can speak about winning trophies and winning medals, but I think representing your country with this group of girls, as well – I’ve got some really special friends here – from the moment everything happened, it’s been my biggest priority.

“I don’t want to be treated any differently because of everything that’s happened. It’s about performance and I know that in itself speaks volumes, getting picked, because I know how focused Sarina is on performing well and being up to the standard of being in the squad, so for me, that’s probably the biggest compliment.”

‘Every day isn’t perfect’ is the mantra. There’s no one coping mechanism that has worked. Instead, it’s been a combination of factors: the support of loved ones, including current and former England teammates; mental and physical drive, and a lot of hard work.

But ultimately, it all paid off as a move back to the WSL beckoned last year with Villa where she has re-established herself between the sticks.

“It was never-ending,” she said. “Even now there’s still moments where I think I don’t know if it’s worth it or not but that’s the mentality I’ve got to keep pushing. There’s been weeks where it’s tough, I can’t lie.

“It was more of a mental thing than anything which is probably why the move to Barcelona didn’t go so well because I just wasn’t mentally in the right capacity to be at a club competing at Champions League. The load was probably a bit too much, too soon but it was a dream, so I wanted to give it my everything.

“There’s definitely been times, even that first year in Barça, I just never knew if I’d be able to reach the level again. I’m more confident of that now, seeing the levels and things that remind me of my old self if not better.”

Despite being sidelined for six months, during which time she put her energy into getting her career back on track, Roebuck was still the Lionesses’ biggest supporter.

She watched every single minute of England’s EURO 2025 campaign, confessing she had never felt prouder to see Wiegman’s team go back-to-back, even if she did wish she could have joined them in Switzerland.

Capped eleven times at international level, Roebuck was added to Sarina Wiegman’s squad in November last year to replace the injured Khiara Keating and she didn’t have to wait long for a full call-up, making the cut for England’s World Cup Qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland earlier this month.

And having touched back down at St. George’s Park earlier this week, the transition has been a seamless one – it is as though nothing has changed, in her own words.

“I was shocked because I didn’t expect it,” admitted Roebuck, who has remained in regular contact with the England technical staff. “I was over the moon. I saw it on social media – I wasn’t even checking my emails. That’s probably the best thing to do because then you’re not disappointed.

“I think I’ve changed a lot. My priorities are probably different. I’m a lot less be-all and end-all. I’m quite relaxed. That’s probably the mentality I wish I had years ago. I probably cared too much, whereas now I know I work hard, I know I train hard, I know I’m a good person, so whatever happens, happens. That’s probably the best approach.

“I’ve been pushing myself to my limits really because you don’t really know what you’re capable of until you have to be capable of it. For me now, it’s getting the most out of my capabilities and seeing where it takes me. It’s quite exciting.”