30 May 2024 , 11:00
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Lauren Hemp has played in front of more than 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium and represented her country in a World Cup final but neither of those experiences were as anxiety-inducing as her recent trip to Windsor Castle.
The Manchester City and England forward was there to collect her MBE for services to football, with the Prince of Wales presenting her with the accolade. And while Hemp is no stranger to being in the spotlight, having been catapulted to stardom by the Lionesses’ European Championship triumph in 2022, she admits to finding the whole encounter “very nerve wracking”.
“I play football all the time, it’s my bread and butter, but I’ve never curtseyed in my life,” she laughs. “I practiced it about 100 times before I went and did it. You had to do it twice, so I got a second chance at perfecting it.
“To see Prince William, he’s a massive football fan so it made it much easier. It helped with my nerves.”
Watching Hemp on the pitch, it’s hard to imagine anything phasing her. A pacy, technically brilliant winger, the 23-year-old has established herself as a virtual undroppable for both club and country and her talent is such that legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt even asked for her match-worn shirt following City’s victory over Chelsea last term.
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She has already amassed 55 England caps and registered a career-high 11 goals and eight assists in 2023/24. Her growing list of achievements renders her one of the most impressive talents in the women’s game and yet there is no hint of arrogance or ego about her as she sits down with Mirror Football and a handful of other publications at St George’s Park to reflect on a whirlwind few months.
Instead, Hemp has assumed the role of England’s understated superstar; a player whose celestial ability is at odds with her reserved demeanour. She famously spends much of her downtime constructing elaborate Lego creations and says it was a “big surprise” to see herself named on the 2024 New Year’s Honours List.
“Naturally as footballers you’d be thinking about the Ballon d’Or or the FIFA Best, not necessarily about getting an MBE,” she says. “But it’s an incredible honour and I was so surprised and shocked when I received the letter.
Hemp has been in excellent form for City“I felt pretty speechless to be honest because it’s such an incredible achievement. It’s not recognised just football wise, it’s worldwide and people are getting celebrated for so many different things and it’s an honour to be part of that.”
The accolade comes after Hemp helped fire City to the cusp of their first Women’s Super League (WSL) title since 2016, though Gareth Taylor’s side were ultimately pipped to the trophy by Chelsea. Still, it has been an impressive campaign for the Blues and, after months of speculation about a potential move abroad, Hemp has now committed her future to the club, penning a new three-year deal last month.
“I'm glad to have got it over the line,” she says of her new contract. “I wanted to do it before the end of the season.
“There was a lot of speculation about different things and I wanted to make sure I had that out there and there weren't going to be any more rumours. I'm really happy that I did that now and very glad that I've chosen to say.
“It's such a special group and I want to be part of that journey over the next couple of years. I love being at City, I love everyone there and the staff. It's a great place to be.”
And, while Hemp concedes it was disappointing to miss out on the title on goal difference, she is confident that it’s only a matter of time before City get their hands on some more silverware.
“We had a great season I thought,” she reflects. “We were unfortunate to not quite do it (win the title). We still had that belief going into the final game and we took it right to the end but credit to Chelsea they went out and had a fantastic performance against Manchester United.
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“We obviously wanted to win the league and we were so disappointed, you could see so many tears from people because when you work so hard for something over the season, to come so close and yet so far is such a shame.
“But it makes us more hungry and more eager to go on and do it next year and preferably not leave it until the last game. We're getting closer and closer and I know City is on an upward trajectory and it's an exciting time to be part of the club.”
City missed out on the title on goal differenceShe adds: “That's why I stayed and signed a new contract. I knew we were going to be successful and it's only a matter of time before we start winning trophies and picking up league titles. It's such a special group to be a part of and the togetherness within the squad is second to none.
“I feel like we can bounce back from things so quickly and, having had some time to reflect over the past couple of weeks, I've got nothing but pride when I reflect on the season.”
For now though, Hemp’s full focus is on helping England qualify for next summer’s Euros in Switzerland. The European champions are currently second in their qualifying group ahead of a double-header against group leaders France, with the Lionesses set to host Herve Renard’s side at St James’ Park on Friday before the two teams meet again in Saint-Etienne on June 4.
“They obviously bring so many threats,” Hemp says of France, who beat England 3-1 when the sides last faced off against each other in April 2021. “They’re an incredible side and we’ve got so much respect for them but I think the main focus this week has been knowing our strengths.
“We know what we can bring and we know what they can and we’re going to put ourselves in the best position to be able to go and beat them.”
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