(In England) Lauren James speaks out on injury struggles and fan criticism

 

Lauren James has revealed how difficult Euro 2025 was for her as she tried to play through injury while dealing with harsh criticism from fans. The 23 year old England forward said supporters were too quick to assume she was not trying, when in fact she was in a lot of pain.

James started all six games in Switzerland as the Lionesses retained their title, but she picked up an injury in the quarter final against Sweden. Determined to help the team, she carried on into the semi final against Italy and the final against Spain, but was forced off early in both games. She admitted she could not dribble or run properly, which left her frustrated at her own performances.

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Hurt by comments that called her lazy and accused her of not giving enough, James stressed that no player would ever go into a major tournament without trying. She said fans do not always know the battles players are facing behind the scenes and urged people to be more mindful. James added that the criticism affected how much she enjoyed the team’s historic triumph, even though it was an incredible achievement for England.

James also spoke honestly about her fears of racist abuse after missing a penalty in England’s quarter final shootout against Sweden. She explained that she hoped she would not be the only player to miss because of the history of online attacks against Black players in England’s men’s team.

Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka all suffered racist abuse after missing in the Euro 2020 final. James admitted the thought was in her mind as she stepped up to take her kick. She felt huge relief when other England players also missed, saying it was sad to feel that way instead of being able to focus only on helping her team.

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Her team mate Jess Carter has already spoken about receiving racist messages during the tournament and worried about the level of abuse James might have faced if her penalty had been decisive. James said players should always feel support when representing their country and that skin colour should never matter.

Despite the challenges, James said she will never doubt her commitment to England. She remains proud to represent the Lionesses and wants to be part of every tournament, with the goal of helping England win even more trophies.