England’s Beth Mead has been the standout performer for the Lionesses in the Women’s Euros thus far, with four goals to her name after a stunning hat-trick in England’s 8-0 win over Norway. It hasn’t always been plain sailing for the Arsenal forward though, after missing the SheBelieves Cup in 2020 due to injury – and being dropped from the squad altogether for the Olympics in Tokyo last year.
Mead has previously spoken about how these experiences have made her stronger, saying: “Obviously it was disappointing last summer, but would I be the player I am today if that didn’t happen? Maybe not.” The 27-year-old added that she thought she had “matured” as a player over the previous 12 months, and her performances thus far would seem to back that up.
Her performance against the Norwegians led former Arsenal striker Ian Wright to describe Mead as a “goalscoring monster” as part of the BBC’s analysis on the game.
