If you are up early enough near England’s team hotel in Terrigal, you will probably spot Alex Greenwood walking along the beach.
It is part of her morning routine, which also includes an ice bath, and it is clearly working.
The defender has been one of the Lionesses’ best players at this Women’s World Cup, excelling at centre-back, left-back and in a back-three.
Her performances have helped them keep three clean sheets in four matches, and the only goal they have conceded was a contentious penalty against China.
She will again be key in Saturday’s quarter-final against Colombia. At 5ft 6in, Greenwood is likely to have to contend with powerful 5ft 10in forward Mayra Ramirez, although the Colombian attack is very fluid and rotates.
The challenge is unlikely to faze Greenwood. As well as her defensive strengths, the 29-year-old has made the most successful passes of any player at the tournament, while she is also top for total touches.
“I like to have possession and build up play from the back,” says Greenwood. “That’s something I pride myself on. I want to keep the ball, I want to give the ball to the players that are going to make things happen.”
Greenwood’s form comes off the back of an excellent season for Manchester City, where she topped the Women’s Super League for the most passes and touches.
She has bounced back from the disappointment of last summer’s Euros, where she lost her starting spot on the eve of tournament, as Leah Williamson moved from midfield to centre-back. Greenwood did not start a single game as England went all the way, but now she is a key cog in the side.
In the absence of Williamson, she allows the Lionesses to play out from the back. Her composure on the ball is vital and, after starting England’s opening game against Haiti at left-back, a move to the heart of defence has added a new dimension to the team.
“I still felt I had an important role within the team, even leading into the Euros I still felt that way then,” says Greenwood. “Obviously, with the Euros situation, I accepted my role, I knew I had to be the best team-mate for the girls and that group of girls was truly special in every way.”
Even if she was not a starter then, Greenwood was still an important figure in the dressing room and is a sociable character.
This is her third World Cup and she uses her experience to help young players, such as Ellie Roebuck. Goalkeeper Roebuck regularly joins Greenwood on her morning walks, which the defender finds calming. Fittingly, calmness is precisely what she exudes on the pitch.
Greenwood is one of the most tactically astute players in the England squad and she has been tipped to one day become a coach. She often spends her free time in camp discussing tactics with assistant coach Arjan Veurink, who is a football anorak.
Greenwood, though, still has time for fun and her newest hobby is colouring in. “I have found my inner childhood Alex again,” she says.
