8 titles in England, Champions League and Euro

Currently, Fran Kirby plays at Brighton & Hove Albion, from 2024, but the team was noticed was Chelsea. The footballer was part of the London team from 2015 to 2024.

Francesca told a few years ago that her mother enrolled her after a funny episode since she was 3 years old.

“My mother took me to the doctor for a few tests. The doctor threw me a tennis ball to see how I react. I think I just had to catch her, but I shot her back directly to him. I was three years old. My mother just said,” I think she wants to be a footballer, “Francesca said.

Fran Kirby, Junior to Reading for 8

That's how she arrived Junior at Reading in 2001, where she stayed until 2010, when she was promoted to the big team.

Francesca Kirby / Photo: Instagram

During the period spent at the senior team he played 43 matches. However, despite the quite small number of games played, she managed to be noticed by the 68 goals scored.

Fran played at Reading until 2015, when he caught the attention of Chelsea.

Arriving at that point, at that transfer, has not been easy for her, being almost giving up football since she was junior.

Left without mother from 14

At the age of only 14, his mother died from a brain bleeding. She did not achieve at the moment, and for many years she said she could not be sad.

“I simply couldn't understand what had happened. And it remained for many years. At home, I almost never talked about it. I lived with two men who didn't know how to show their emotions.”she said.

The awareness of the death came only when he was 17 years old. She said she was in a cantonment, staying in her room and said, “I want to go home, I can't do that anymore, I miss my mother!”.

Fran Kirby went through depression: “I was like a zombie”

Then he went home and convinced that he was okay to give up. That's how he went into depression.

I felt like a zombie. I wasn't talking to my family. I was anxious in big crowds. I felt outside of my place. At parties, I was just staying in a corner until I could go home. When I was thinking of the happy little girl who had been a few years before, it seemed like a stranger.

And yet, to take that time for me was the best decision I have ever made. Because I needed to work with myself. I had to recover, to heal myself, to complain my pain. I had to try to find myself.

-Fran Kirby

However, at one point, a friend invited her to play a football match, just from the fun. In the end he remembered the happiness he had when he was little, when he was playing, and he decided to find himself.

“One day, Reading needed players for a match and asked me if I would like to play. I accepted and I really liked it. I had a team friend, I liked the atmosphere. I started to play again regularly. And, without realizing, I had scored 32 goals in 21 matches for the first team.”this said this, for the quoted source.

Diagnosed with pericarditis at 26

Until 2019, the footballer believed that the depression suffered after his mother's death, but as he arrived in his career, realized that he wanted to share those joys and successes with one person. But it could not.

At the end of 2019, Francesca went through a worrying situation. It turned out that it was suffering from pericarditis, an inflammation of the membrane around the heart. This condition seriously put his career in danger, forcing her to consider withdrawal before the weather.

“Helped” by the Covid-19 Pandemia

In the context of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Olympic Games, her great dream in childhood, were postponed. The difficult time that everyone went through was a “help” for her, because she offered her the time to regain her physical form and gradually she could return to training on the football field.

“It was a terrible time for many people, but it gave me a chance to train and reach the best form for the Olympics.

Passing through that period when I was very, very sick … I didn't even see a way to come back to football, just the fact that I could run again, that I could move. It was huge, “said Fran.

Achievements in Chelsea's T -shirt: 8 titles in England

During this difficult time for her, Francesca was Chelsea's player, a team with whom she had the most performances.

8 titles in Englandwon Fran Kirby next to Chelsea

In addition to the 8 titles, Francesca won with Chelsea, 5 cups, 2 league cups, but also a Champions League.

In the 2020-2021 season, Chelsea won the UEFA Women's Champion's League, Fran in a team.

Francesca Kirby played 155 matches for Chelsea in the 9 years, and in this she managed to put her name on the 101 times marking table. In addition, she also offered 41 goals.

She managed to beat the record of the best scorer from Chelsea, with the 101 goals.

Fran Kirby, performance for England and UK

Along with the national of the United Kingdom, Francesca fulfilled one of the biggest dreams of childhood, to play at the Olympics. In the 2021 edition, the footballer was used in 2 matches, and in one of them he managed to offer a goal.

Along with England, Fran Kirby took the third place at the 2015 World Cup. In 2022, she also passed her trophy.

Withdrawal from the national of England

In 2025, reaching the age of 32, Fran Kirby realized it was time to withdraw from the national team, before Euro 2025, to make room for younger players.

However, she was still in Switzerland to support England in all the matches played. Kirby's national team managed to conquer the trophy this year.

“I knew it was the right time for me to withdraw and leave these young players, who come from behind, the chance to assert themselves. Some of them will play for England in the next 10, 12, maybe 15 years. For me, it was more important to leave when I felt it is correct, because I know there are others that can take that role,” said this.

25 goals and 9 assistsFrancesca succeeded in the 73 matches played for the national team.

Individual prizes won by Francesca Kirby

Francesca received the “Player of the Year” award twice, in the seasons 2017-2018 and 2020-2021. Also in the 2020-2021 season he also won the “Player of the Year” prize in the England champion, but the footballer in Chelsea was also chosen.

Currently, Francesca plays at Brighton and has reached 20 matches, in which she scored 9 goals.

The power of not giving up

When you are sick or injured, you can forget the feeling of leaving the ground. It's easy to say “I'm fine and without”, but when you get back on the field you remember this is the feeling you want to have. Being on the field again is what I love and everything I wanted, it's all I have done since I was little. “Just try again,” I always tell me and I think that “again” has already been more than 10 times.

-Franchesca Kirby