Nikita Parris looks back on some of her England highlights

For the first time in two years, Nikita Parris returned to the England women's senior team setup as Sarina Wiegman announced her 24-player squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Portugal and Spain.

A European champion with 71 caps and 17 goals to her name, Parris' career has spanned three major tournaments at senior level, having represented her country at World Cups and EUROs.

Here, she takes a look back at some of her highlights so far.

A first tournament goal

"That was a long time ago! I just remember it was my first tournament and we played Portugal in the third group game. I remember the ball bouncing through and I just got a toe on it and it found its way into the back of the net. To go to any major tournament is a huge honour and to score is even more beautiful and a great memory to have.

"It’s not easy to go to major tournaments. I was so young – I was 21 or 22 – and in that moment, every game I played, I just wanted to score because as a forward, that’s what you want to do. I just remember my team-mate – who was also my club team-mate, Toni Duggan – coming running over to me and giving me a hug. She was happier for me than I was for myself because I didn’t understand the gravity of the situation."

World Cup qualification secured

"That was at Rodney Parade! It was a very interesting pitch. It felt like the fans were sitting right on top of us – the sidelines and the stand was very close. We had to win that game to qualify. Any game against Wales is always competitive – it’s another home nation so it’s almost like a derby in terms of international football. It was a very tense affair and a very tight game. In the second half, we scored a few goals – I was one of them, Jill (Scott) was one of them and Toni Duggan.

"It was a great achievement to qualify for the World Cup and then it was all about getting selected for the tournament in 2019 in France and you try and put yourself in the best situation to be able to compete at the top of your game at your club to give you a chance to play for your country."

Derby day on the big stage

"We all got told that special guests would announce our places if we were selected for the squad and it went up in number order so everyone started to get theirs. Mine was David Beckham because I wore the number seven.

"For me, it was a big moment because obviously it was the opening game of the tournament for us, it was a penalty and it was against Scotland. It was a massive crowd – the fans came out in their numbers in that game, so the noise that was being made around the stadium was crazy. Because the penalty went to VAR, it felt like it took an eternity for me to even put the ball on the spot, never mind taking the penalty. I remember thinking to myself, ‘just do what you’ve practiced’. I was confident because I’d practiced and perfected my technique."

Fearless. Proud. Lioness. pic.twitter.com/dmEB2dkqMh

— Nikita Parris (@lilkeets) June 10, 2019

The ultimate throwback

"A family member had taken that on what we call a Kodak back in the day when you had to go to Max Spielmann and get photos printed! I remember that day because we were at Bisham Abbey and it was our under-15s camp and we played France in a double header – we won one and lost one.

"That was the start of my journey at international exposure. You never really think too far ahead – you’re just thinking in the moment. I was just excited about competing with the best players in the country."

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by NIKITA PARRIS (@nikitaparris17)

Worth the wait

"It’s very hard to sum up. I think it was a moment in time in which it was a relief to finally win the EUROs. As a team, we’d worked so hard for it over the years. To go from being semi-finalists – which we were a few times and which was a very difficult hurdle to fall at – you always ask yourself, ‘are we ever going to get to the point where we do get to a final?’ and ‘if we get to a final, will we win?’ And the first time we got to the final of the EUROs, we won!

"It was a moment of pure euphoria just going wild in the changing room and on the pitch, living in the moment of finally doing something that’s always been a dream. It was a good summer – it was a hot summer – and we got to spend downtime with friends and family so it was a good balance between work and play."

Together again

"It’s almost a celebration of the fact you’ve overcome a huge hurdle as a team but what’s next? I think that was the biggest thing as a team now that we’d won the EUROs, it was about what was next. That’s always challenging in football because the thing about football is you never get long enough to celebrate the highs because ultimately, the next tournament comes and the next games come.

"Once you’re at the top, people always want to take your spot, so every game becomes harder. That’s the test that, as a team, we’ve got now."

All smiles in the sun 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/7YyMolekRi

— Nikita Parris (@lilkeets) November 9, 2022