🔗 Share this article

“She reacted like a Champions League winner,” remarked England manager Sarina Wiegman with a laugh.

And for Lucia Kendall, it was a near-equivalent experience.

Wiegman was recalling the moment the Aston Villa midfielder raced away into the corner after netting her first Lionesses goal – early in a triumph over Ghana at St Mary's Stadium.

“I think the pitch needs some attention after that!” she quipped, referring to Kendall’s immaculate knee slide.

Rising to her feet among her celebrating colleagues, the young player showed an expression of overwhelming happiness.

A Fairytale Homecoming

Southampton was her home for a decade; she was a core player there after coming through the academy and racking up 103 appearances prior to her July move to Aston Villa.

Consequently, netting at her old stomping ground in only her third game for England was an incredible moment.

“It was a truly special moment to achieve this here, in my hometown. This place made me into the player I am,” Kendall said.

“It seemed destined to happen. It was so special. I got overwhelmed with emotion really.”

A Rapid Rise to Prominence

Southampton laid the groundwork, yet a important decision made when she was 15 shaped her destiny.

A proficient cricketer as well, with a father who played county cricket for Hampshire, she was forced to decide between the two pursuits as her football career began to flourish. Football was the choice.

“It presented a dilemma. Juggling both became impossible,” Kendall said in a previous media conference.

“Growing up, I had a passion for cricket. The decision was genuinely tough. I went back and forth, but when the time came, I knew I enjoy football a bit more.”

Growing up admiring Chelsea and Frank Lampard’s goal-getting midfield exploits, Kendall is embarking on her own path with comparable attacking output.

Her ability to handle first-team football alongside a psychology degree was evidence of the mental fortitude and dedication required for the top level.

The club fought to keep her, but with her deal up, Villa seized the opportunity to introduce her to the top flight.

Within months the Winchester-born player has made a name for herself, becoming a regular in the top flight and earning a place in the England squad.

“She shows consistency and that's not easy when you just come into a new environment and into the WSL with Aston Villa,” said Wiegman.

“The pace of her rise has been breathtaking, yet she maintains her performance standard, proving her quality impressively.”

Kendall certainly enjoyed herself at St Mary's, hitting the crossbar later in the first half and almost teeing up Villa team-mate Missy Bo Kearns for a goal, before Alessia Russo added a second with an injury-time penalty.

She was substituted after an hour to a roar from the home crowd and the enthusiastic voice of the stadium announcer boasting that she was “Southampton's very own”.

Having netted 29 times for Southampton during her long tenure, she reflected, “My early exposure to senior football there from 16 was invaluable experience.

“It was the consistent trust they showed in me as a player and the belief. I felt like I was ready for [the next step].

“I knew that I had to go in [to England] and prove why I should be playing at this level. The speed of the game is quicker and it was like going up a division.”

‘Technically and Tactically, She Is a Very Strong Midfielder’

Kendall has made an instant impression at international level, with observers stating she has just “got it” as a midfielder and looks like a “born talent”.

While mindful of shielding her young star, Wiegman is unworried due to Kendall’s grounded and focused attitude.

Days after being called up by the Lionesses for the first time, Kendall was sitting in front of the media saying she was eager to impress, but also understood the need for the team's greater good and whatever role she needed to play in that.

Teammate Alessia Russo remarked that Kendall integrated as if she’d always been there.

“{This team's just gone on to win back-to