The father of England goal sensation Lauren James has predicted she could become the Lionel Messi or Diego Maradona of the women’s game following her heroics against China.
The Chelsea forward, 21, scored twice and claimed three assists in a 6-1 demolition that propelled the Lionesses into the World Cup round of 16 as group winners on Tuesday.
Nigel James, whose defender son Reece, 23, also plays for England and Chelsea, said: “I have to pinch myself every day. Most parents would only dream to have one England international, never mind two.”
As James and her teammates prepare to play Nigeria on Monday, Mr James, 57, who runs a coaching academy in Wimbledon, told BBC Sport he was “not surprised at all” by her success.
“Me and her brothers had to keep drumming into her how fantastic she is,” he revealed. “She manipulates the ball and it’s easy and there is no pressure.
“Ronaldinho, Messi — those players have that freedom to play. She has that ability. We don’t see too many Diego Maradonas or Ronaldinhos anymore, so to be on the female side, when you see a player like that, you have to think to yourself ‘wow’.”
He added: “Everyone who has seen Lauren play from six or seven-years-old knows how good she is. It’s brilliant, it’s quality but that’s Lauren.
“She has trained all her life, she’s dedicated and she’s been obsessed with being a footballer. It’s all she has ever wanted to do. She always wanted to compete against boys and has trained against top academy players who are playing in the Premier League today.”
Mr James, who plans to travel to Australia for the latter stages of the tournament to join wife Emma, congratulated his daughter in a phone call shortly after the China win.
He said: “It was just like, ‘Well done, fantastic, you make us all so proud. You make the whole country really proud’. I said she needs to keep going, keep believing, get rest and go again.”
Brand expert Emily Austen, of the Emerge agency, tipped James’s agents to look at signing six-figure deals with high-profile brands as well as pulling in thousands for everything from appearances at events to sponsored Instagram posts, which could collectively earn her more than £1 million.
James is the first England player of either gender to be directly involved in five or more goals in a World Cup match.
Leah Williamson, who plays for Arsenal, previously described her as “cheat code”, a phrase used in gaming where people use a code to skip levels.
Aston Villa striker Rachel Daly said of James: “She is a nightmare for defenders as the ball just sticks to her. She’s lethal.”
