Keira Walsh tells the story behind EUROs photos

Keira Walsh played a starring role in the Lionesses' UEFA Women's EURO 2025 triumph in the summer to add a second European title to her name.

As England embark on a new year following an unforgettable 2025, the Chelsea midfielder takes a look back at some of her most memorable photos from the tournament.

'My first tournament goal'

It was a difficult first game. I think France are a really good team – they’ve got some great players. We started a little bit slowly and we probably didn’t hit the rhythm we wanted to hit early on but I feel like there was still the feeling we were never out of the game because we knew that we could play better and we could do more than what we’d been doing. For me also, I scored my first tournament goal and it wasn’t in the circumstances that we wanted it to be in but it was a nice moment for me in that sense. I was disappointed because I would rather win the game.

I think there was probably more noise outside than there was inside. You always pretty much have to win your first two games anyway to get through so we knew we weren’t out. We knew that we could do a lot better so it wasn’t the case that we weren’t good enough, it was just that we needed to show our best selves in the next two games.

'We were really lucky'

We were really lucky with the hotel we stayed at. It was lovely and all the facilities and the FA did great in taking care of the pitch for us – the training pitch was always really good and the gym was really good as well at the training ground.

But most of the time, I was playing Monopoly Deal with Tooney [Ella Toone], Alessia [Russo] and Beth [Mead] – sometimes Leah [Williamson] joined in but not always. It’s better when you play with four people! My family was there and my partner came over, so I just spent time outside of football with them and went for a coffee.

'It gave us confidence'

It was a really nice moment for me to get player of the match [against Wales] but more importantly, it was about the team. It was a really good team performance and we had a lot of different goalscorers in that game and we created a lot of chances.

I think it gave us confidence that we can create in those big moments and we needed that in the games coming up, so I think it was a massive game for us. Sarina [Wiegman] brought in a lot of different players who showed their qualities and what they can bring. It was an all-round fantastic team performance.

'We never felt like we were going home'

When you’re lining up, you’re a bit nervous when you’re stood in the tunnel because you’re kind of just waiting to get out there and start the game but when you’re singing the national anthem, it’s such a special moment. You always get goosebumps, especially in a major tournament when you’re representing your country. It’s an incredible feeling. Obviously the game [against Sweden] didn’t go as planned again, but the resilience showed even when things aren’t going our way and we aren’t playing our best football, we can still go and beat another top team and get through to the semi-finals.

When you’re playing, it’s a little bit different because you can affect the game and you’re in the moment and you feel like you can physically do things to make a difference. When I came off in the last few minutes, it was awful to watch, so I can only imagine how the fans felt and how the staff felt on the side. Again, for us, we never felt like we were going home and you could see that right until the last minute that we always believed in ourselves and that’s what so special about this time is that we never give up. We ended up winning the tournament when a lot of people counted us out. I think it’s not necessarily what other people think, it’s how we felt on the inside and in our bubble.

'The pinnacle of your career'

It was crazy. Obviously the journey we’d been on, it was physically and mentally exhausting. To play against Spain in the final, they’re an unbelievable team and we faced them in the World Cup, so I think we just wanted to show a better account of ourselves in that game and I feel like we did that. We were relentless, we were hard to beat and everybody put in an absolute shift.

It’s a really special feeling, then to celebrate with some of your best mates with that you’ve played with for such a long time. Winning a trophy for your country is probably the pinnacle of your career, so to do that twice is really special.

'No better person to shield the pressure'

I’ll be honest with you, I had total faith in Chloe [Kelly]. I knew she was going to score. She’s one of our best penalty takers and I think there was no better person to shield the pressure of that moment. She’s an incredibly big character and in the moment you need her, she shows up. I’m so, so happy for her that she had those moments – she deserved it. I think she’s trained really hard.

I can’t speak for her but she had a tough start to the season, to then finish the season off in that style. I think it speaks volumes of her as a person. She’s a fantastic teammate and someone I’ve played with for a long time. I think you can see how happy I am for in that picture. She’s someone who can take the pressure away from the rest of the team and always delivers when we need her.

'Appreciate the little things'

A few of the staff were telling us there was going to be people there but for women’s football, it’s never been like that before and to see fans there and how much supported us through the tournament, it was a really, really nice feeling and something I’ll never forget.

Obviously, it’s not ideal when you’re partying all night to be flying back and having to get ready at the airport! It’s hard to put into words to show how far the women’s game has come. I think just to appreciate the little things like that is massive.

'We inspired the next generation'

I’ve definitely felt better than I did on that photo, it’s fair to say – sleep-deprived, for sure! I just tried to soak it in and look around and fully appreciate what had happened and what we’d just done. I think it’s probably something that I’ll never fully come to terms with.

To have so many people turn up for the Lionesses was incredible. Hopefully, we inspired the next generation again with what we did in Switzerland. To have the trophy there with some of my best friends makes it even more special.