by The English goalkeeper Hannah Hampton paid her late grandfather an emotional homage after announcing that he died two days before the start of the euro in 2025.
Hampon was the hero of England’s shootout victory over Spain in the final on Sunday, when she saved two punishments to build Chloe Kelly to seal the lion.
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The 24-year-old started for the first time at a big tournament after replacing Mary Earps between the posts, but was a revelation when the lioness defended their title.
Hannah Hampton made two decisive parades in the penalty shootout (Peter Byrne/Pa Wire)
Hampton wore her England shirt during the “Grandma” tournament and said he was one of her biggest supporters on her trip.
Hampton posted on Instagram: “Dear Grandpa. They left two days before the greatest tournament of my life. It still doesn’t feel real.
“I always thought when I was calling Nannie, I would hear her voice again – one of her jokes or one of these little comments that would make you who somehow said without saying much.
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“You were one of my biggest supporters. You believed in me before I even knew what this trip would look like.
“You were always there: watching, encouraging, teaching. You taught me so much, not just about football, but about life. About the ground, to stay hard, to be resilient and do things right.
“I miss our chats. I miss you to say that ‘only we athletes understand’ – always with a little grin, as if you were something special. And you were.
“It breaks my heart that they couldn’t go out for our country at my first big tournament.
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“Something you dreamed of for me, something that we talked about so often. I wanted to see her face or hear her voice after the game called home. I wanted to share that with them.
“But I know, deep inside, you were still there. I felt you. In the tunnel. In the field. In the hard moments. I heard you in my head when I needed strength. I hope I made you proud, grandpa.
“I carried you through every minute and I will always do it. I did it. We did it.”
The English head coach Sarina Wiegman asked further investments in women’s football to ensure that the country remains a “pioneer” because her team celebrated her success in the downening street in Downing Street on Monday evening.
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On Tuesday, a return bus parade will follow in the center of London, where there will be a procession along the shopping center and the celebration ends with a staged ceremony in the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace.
The last victory in England in 2025 against Spain in Euro 2025 was observed by a top TV audience of 16.2 m over the BBC and ITV, which won the lion’s victory at the most viewed moment of 2025.
(Getty Images)
Chloe Kelly achieved the decisive penalty in the shootout against Spain when Hampton scored two parades to ensure European titles for England in a row. The final drew an average TV audience of 12 million in both BBC and ITV.
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The BBC said that a top audience of 12.2 m saw England on the platforms, including a highlight of 11.6 m on BBC One, which is a 59 percent share of all television audience on Sunday evening.
It was the most watched moment on television this year, and ITV recorded a highlight of 4.2 million viewers during the final. ITV attracted an audience of 10.2 m for the semi -final victory of England against Italy, which was the largest audience in the channel for 2025.
There was a top audience of 17.4 m when the lionesses won the previous euros in 2022, which gave England a large men’s or women’s tournament for the first time since 1966 by defeating in Wembley Germany.
