Golden girl Beth Mead has unfurled her manifesto for Harry Kane to achieve a matching pair of Golden Boots at the World Cup: Pack up your troubles and enjoy it.
Lionesses legend Mead was both leading scorer and player of the tournament when England's women conquered Europe in July. Now, as Kane hunts the most coveted pair of shoes since Cinderella's glass slippers – he won the Golden Boot in Russia four years ago – he can bank on expert advice from England's queen bee in the box.
Mead, 27, turned crushing disappointment at her omission from Team GB's Olympic squad in Tokyo last year into motivation at the Euros, where Sarina Wiegman's heroes tasted extra-time glory against Germany at Wembley, just as the brotherhood had done 56 years earlier.
Kane bagged his 51st goal for England in the 3-3 draw with the Fatherland on Monday night at their World Cup send-off, and Mead revealed: “Last year was a turning point for me after not being selected for the Olympic squad.
“It switched my mindset and made me look at football a bit differently – I guess I simplified my approach and started to enjoy it again. Sometimes you get so caught up in the pressures and the hype that you forget the most important things and I lost that enjoyment that comes with playing football.
“What you saw at the Euros was a player who felt like she was six years old again. I've just tried to replicate that again this season and, so far, it's worked well. Football has become over-complicated and there's so much expectation, especially on England teams. Just go out there, enjoy it, make yourselves proud – and the pride of everyone else will come with it.
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“We worry too much in this country about the backlash, and what other people may think. Sometimes it's better just to think about yourself, and that's not selfish at all. You're the best players in the country, you're there on merit. Players are scrutinised so much now, but sometimes you put 100 per cent into a game and it doesn't go right – so just go out and enjoy it.
“Harry could have gone into the Euros last year listening to all the spiel about him, and sometimes the criticism is hard, but he got to the final, so he must have been doing something right. You've got to block it out and remember why you are there.
“If you play for Tottenham and England, it means you can play football. It's easy to get caught up in the noise from the outside world, but when you know how hard you've worked, and how much graft has gone into representing your country at a major tournament, the rest is what is meant to be.
“As footballers, I think we need to start thinking about ourselves a bit more. And if your job is scoring goals, the Golden Boot will take care of itself.” Mead was speaking as an ambassador for WHOOP – a fitness tracker that measures strain, recovery and sleep – after wearing a hi-tech armband to measure her output in Arsenal's 4-0 win against Tottenham on Saturday, watched by a record 47,367 fans at the Emirates.
But her goal-laden career was nearly over before it had started. In 2015, she emerged unscathed from a frightening late-night crash on bleak moorland after rolling her car to avoid hitting a deer in the road.
She said: “I was a lucky girl – I was travelling back home to Whitby from training with Sunderland one night and normally I would drive along the coast road, where there's more happening and there are a few villages with street lighting.
“But I was diverted across the moors, it was pitch dark and, as I came over the brow of a hill, there was a deer right in front of me. Instinctively I swerved to avoid, my back end went into a grass bank and I hit a road sign warning of deer and wildlife - which is quite ironic - and that's what made me flip.
“I was incredibly fortunate to emerge without a scratch – just a bruise where my seat belt jammed against my collarbone – and two days later I scored a hat-trick against Chelsea. Somebody up there liked me that week.”
*‘Beth Mead uses WHOOP to improve her performance, health and wellbeing. Find out more at WHOOP.com ’
