Manchester United Women midfielder Ella Toone still gets goosebumps when talking about England’s historic success at Euro 2022.
The Lionesses won the country’s first major trophy since 1966 last summer – on home soil – with Toone one of four current Reds that contributed to the triumph at the tournament.
Of course, we couldn’t have Ella on this week’s episode of the UTD Podcast – which you can listen to, and watch, in the United App – without discussing that iconic campaign, and what it was like to be a part of.
You can hear Tooney discuss being selected in Sarina Wiegman’s squad for the competition, scoring a crucial quarter-final goal against Spain, the post-final celebrations and much more – but for our co-hosts, getting an insight into what was going through Ella’s head after netting the opener in the final was no doubt among the priority discussion points for the chat.
“Well, I was running off and I was thinking: 'Please keep it at 1-0,'”Toone told our own David May, Helen Evans and Sam Homewood, during the episode.
“How sick would that be? I’ve just scored that goal and if we win 1-0, that’s unbelievable, but obviously we like making it hard work and entertaining, don’t we?
“I just remember, in a game, I’ve never asked the ref how long is left because I never want it to end. But in that game I was like: ‘Ref, how long left?’
“And she was like: ‘Twenty-five minutes.’ And I thought: ‘Oh my God! I feel sick.’
“But yeah, [it is] oh so special, such a special memory and yes, I still get goosebumps talking about it.”
As you can expect nearly eight months later, Toone still has a smile on her face when looking back on an unforgettable summer.
“Oh, it was unbelievable,”she says, in her UTD Podcast episode.
“One of the best summers of my life going there and it being a home Euros was so special as well.
“Every time, you would travel to the game you could see so many fans there, and it was just like: ‘Wow, we’re really growing women’s football and we’re really inspiring the nation.’
“I think, for us, it was always about making the nation proud and you can see that. You can see the journey that we had, and the fans were on board as well. So yeah, [it was] unbelievable.”
During the conversation about the Euros – one topic covered among several during an in-depth and fascinating podcast episode – our homegrown hero also spoke about the importance of the campaign creating a lasting legacy and galvanising future generations.
That mantra is something Toone has been keen to champion herself – both before and after the tournament – to be a role model for young girls hoping to follow a similar pathway into the game.
“I’m very big on that,”
she added.
“I’m very big on what can I do for the community? What can I do to help inspire the next generation? And I think because, growing up, we didn’t have much to look up to.
“It’s nice to be in that position now and to use my platform to really help get involved in the community and help inspire young girls to get involved.”
You can now listen to, and watch, Toone’s UTD Podcast episode in full via the United App.
SUPPORT UNITED WOMEN AT OLD TRAFFORD
Toone and our women's team will be in action at the Theatre of Dreams this Saturday, 25 March, in a vital Women’s Super League match against West Ham United (kick-off 17:30 GMT).
Tickets are priced at just £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.
To book your seats and support our push for the WSL title in person, head to manutd.com/tickets.