Who is Ellen White? The prolific Lionesses striker…

Who is Ellen White? The prolific Lionesses striker poised to overtake Wayne Rooney as England's top goalscorer

Ellen White got her European Women's Championship campaign truly under way against Norway by bagging a double in England’s record-breaking 8-0 win. The lethal striker has become renowned for her goalscoring prowess in both her club and international career.

She has spearheaded the Lionesses attack for the best part of a decade, racking up the goals in the process. She surpassed Kelly Smith as England Women’s all-time leading goalscorer at the end of last year, following a hat-trick against Latvia, before increasing her tally to 52 on Monday.

The Manchester City forward could overtake Wayne Rooney’s record of 53 to become the country’s greatest ever goalscorer on Friday when the Lionesses face off against Northern Ireland. With Harry Kane hot on the pair’s heels on 50, White will have to keep up the positive momentum to cement herself at the top.

Who is Ellen White?

Born in Aylesbury in 1989, Ellen White’s school didn’t have a girls football team, meaning she had to join in with the boys. White played football for her father’s soccer academy, called Mini Dux, before turning out for Aylesbury Town.

When she was just eight, her talent was spotted by Arsenal and she continued honing her skills with the Gunners until she was 16. A move across London followed as she joined Chelsea in 2005 to make her first steps into senior football.

She ended up as the Blues’ top-scorer for three seasons before joining the ambitious Leeds Carnegie. An ACL injury hampered her first season, but she did go on to lift the 2010 League Cup after two goals in the final.

There would be a disappointing end to her spell in Yorkshire as a lack of funding dashed hopes of landing a spot in the FA Women’s Super League, resulting in a move back to Arsenal. During her time in north London, she won three league titles and two FA Cups, at a time when she was also working full time as a sport development officer.

The iconic black and white stripes of Notts County followed for a two-year stint before the club folded. At the end of her contract, she transitioned to Birmingham City where she claimed the league’s Golden Boot in 2017/18.

Her efforts in the midlands caught the attention of Manchester City before the 2019 World Cup, making her City debut in the Champions League against Atlético Madrid. She has continued to rack up the goals in Manchester and cemented herself as one of the all-time top scorers in the Women's Super League.

Ellen White’s journey to England stardom

White’s England career began when she was scouted for the Under-16s, and she continued to climb the youth ladder. She made her Lionesses debut in March 2010, and few would have predicted just how stratospheric her career would reach.

After scoring in their 3-0 win over Austria, she has gone on to accumulate more than 100 England caps, scoring a remarkable 52 goals in the process - although both tallies are likely to continue rising. White has played a pivotal role in the Lionesses’ recent ascent to become one of the world’s powerhouses in the women’s game.

She has become known as a big-game player after finishing as her country’s top scorer in each of the last three major international tournaments, for both England and Great Britain, scoring 13 in 14 appearances. In fact, she was the only member of Team GB to net at the 2020 Olympics, including a spectacular hat-trick against Australia.

The 33-year-old is also fondly remembered for her stunning goal against would-be-winners Japan at the 2011 World Cup.

At the 2019 World Cup in France, White bagged six goals, including an equaliser in the semi-final, to finish as joint-leading scorer alongside United States icons Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan. Her on-field exploits and inspirational nature has even seen White being rewarded with the Freedom of Aylesbury.

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