Hannah Hampton, renowned as one of the globe's leading goalkeepers, continues to struggle with accidental water spills.
Somehow, Hampton turned into one of the top 'keepers globally, and she can't quite pinpoint how she overcame such challenging odds.
During an interview with CNN Sport, Hampton shared her inspiring story, which started with multiple eye surgeries at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital before she was even three. “I was born cross-eyed,” she explained, continuing, “They’re not entirely fixed yet.”
The surgeries didn't entirely succeed; she cannot perceive depth in her vision, which could be a significant handicap for anyone reliant on hand-eye coordination.
“If I wanted to pour a glass of water,” she joked, “and I’m not holding the cup I’m pouring into, then I’ll miss it completely.”
Hampton chuckled as she recalled a hilarious incident at a Chelsea team dinner during their preseason tour of the US: “I was serving everyone water glasses anyway, and I completely missed and sprayed the entire table. Everyone was just laughing at me because, obviously, they knew why!”
When Hampton was five, her family moved from England to Spain, and it was there that she fell in love with football. She'd often watch Villarreal with her father, idolizing stars like Santi Cazorla and Marcos Senna.
Hampton’s earliest memory having a ball at her feet was an inflatable ball on the sidelines during her brother’s games, and eventually, when she started playing with her friends in the school playground, she knew football was a passion she wanted to pursue.
At that time, the women’s game wasn’t as well-financed or popular as it is now, so she dreamed big. “I always thought I’d be the first woman to play in the England (men’s) team, because I had no idea there was even a women's team! Once I found out, that was my dream and ambition immediately.”
Such ambitions seemed far-fetched, considering her struggles with other sports during her school days. “When I was younger playing basketball and stuff," she reminisced, "I was breaking every finger I possibly had. And I thought, ‘Why is it always me? Like, why can I genuinely not just catch a ball?’” Her diagnosis eventually explained everything, but her parents decided not to dash her dreams by telling her she couldn't pursue a professional career.
“I think there was a certain point where they wanted to sit me down and say, ‘You actually can’t take this professionally,’ but when they realized it wasn’t causing too much of a problem, they just let me keep going and see how far I could get,” she explained.
Hampton initially started playing forward in the Villarreal Youth Academy before transitioning to the goal when she returned to England and trained at Stoke City’s Centre of Excellence.
With talent scouts beginning to notice her potential, she found herself torn between two positions. “I told myself I could play in goal for England and outfield for Stoke City,” she shared.
Her lack of depth perception, something doctors had predicted would become a significant hindrance, was surprisingly not proving to be a problem. “I guess I just had to deal with it; I think I just had to adapt,” she admitted. “I had to judge when it was at a certain point, that’s when I had to catch it.”
Hampton’s senior career started at Birmingham City before shifting to Aston Villa, and by the time she joined Chelsea in 2023, she’d won the European Championship as part of the England squad and picked up a runner-up medal at the World Cup.
In her debut season with Chelsea, she solidified her position as the first-choice goalkeeper and kept 10 clean sheets, helping the team win the fifth consecutive league title on the final day.
“Hannah has worked incredibly hard to reach the position she’s in,” commented her coach at the time, Emma Hayes. “She’s been an absolute pleasure to coach. She’s like a sponge, eager to learn, and exceptionally infectious, spreading loads of energy to the group.”
Hayes later moved to the US women’s team, where she won an Olympic gold medal in Paris. Then, Slovakia-born Sonia Bompastor took over Chelsea’s coaching duties, with an impressive recorded eight WSL titles in just ten seasons.
Hampton reflected on Hayes’ departure from Chelsea, describing it as odd. “Chelsea without Emma Hayes feels a bit strange and odd to say,” she mused. “But the legacy Emma Hayes created, we’re determined to keep it going. Sonia Bompastor has a fantastic legacy on-pitch and off, so we’re excited to help preserve and enhance it.”
Meanwhile, Hampton is focusing on climbing the England team’s pecking order and becoming the first name on the team sheet.
“Being part of the Euros-winning team was incredible,” she enthusiastically shared, “but I want to represent England in a major tournament. Having the opportunity to represent your country and play in it is a unique and special thing. I want to try and become the number one goalkeeper possible.”
Growing up without any female role models to look up to, Hampton is now a part of the generation transforming the professional sports landscape in Europe. However, at 23, she finds the idea of being an inspiration to others a tad overwhelming.
“Personally, I don’t see myself as a role model,” she admitted. “Not yet. Lots of people come up to me and tell me I’m a role model for them, and it’s lovely to hear, but it just feels a bit strange,” she laughed, adding, “I’m still only 23, and I’m still looking up to players myself.”
Despite facing numerous obstacles, Hampton has managed to carve out a successful career as a prominent female athlete. Her aspirations for the future are crystal clear: "There's numerous challenges we've had to conquer in our careers, but it shouldn't be like that for everyone. It's wonderful how the women's sport is situated currently, but we undeniably have the potential to take it to new heights."
Despite her visual impairment being a challenge in other sports, Hampton found a passion for football and fell in love with the sport while watching Villarreal with her father. Her love for football led her to dream of playing for England's men's team, as she wasn't aware of the existence of a women's team at the time.
Hampton's success in football has inspired her to strive for equality in sports and to help take women's football to new heights, stating that there's still potential for the sport to reach even greater heights.
