England women’s Euro 2025 penalty hero Hannah Hampton defies eye condition with study and strategy

Hampton was born with strabismus, and was diagnosed with impaired depth perception at 12. Photograph: Alessandra Tarantino/AP

Hannah Hampton had already saved one penalty in the shootout against Spain at Euro 2025 when Aitana Bonmatí, the back-to-back winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or, placed the ball on the spot and stepped back, taking a moment before the strike. Bonmatí thumped the ball hard and left, but Hampton was there, arms outstretched, to block the shot with both hands.

“Better pens than the last time, let’s be honest!” Hampton said after the match, a reference to the more painful shootout against Sweden in the quarter-final that went to sudden death before England prevailed. Hampton saved two penalties that time, too.