The Chelsea shot-stopper will make her major tournament debut on Saturday against France, having risen to the fore and won Sarina Wiegman's trust

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There are a lot of noticeable differences between the England team set to defend its European Championship title this summer and the one that claimed the trophy only three years ago. Super-subs in 2022, Alessia Russo and Ella Toone have been absorbed into the starting XI now, with Ellen White and Fran Kirby having both stepped away, while Millie Bright will be a notable absentee in the heart of defence after withdrawing from selection this summer. Perhaps the biggest change, though, is in between the posts, where Hannah Hampton will be taking over from Mary Earps at a major tournament for the first time.

Earps was one of the Lionesses' star performers during Euro 2022, keeping four clean sheets in six games while only conceding twice on her way to being named to the tournament's best XI. She took that form into the 2023 Women's World Cup, too, where she won the Golden Glove after helping England reach the final for the first time. Such top quality exploits on such big stages, supported by two strong seasons for Manchester United, allowed the 32-year-old to win The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper award in back-to-back years, underlining Earps' status as one of the world's best.

Circumstances have changed dramatically in the last two years to result in Earps not even being present for this summer's Euros, then. Hampton has by no means come out of the blue to take the shirt, having been in the squad for both tournaments in 2022 and 2023, but she has enjoyed an almighty rise to become the Lionesses' No.1 for their first-ever title defence.

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    Competition begins

    It was at the start of 2024 that things began to change on the goalkeeper front for England. Earps started all six Nations League fixtures at the end of 2023, after her outstanding World Cup, but a couple of iffy performances here and there, combined with Hampton's growing stature at Chelsea, led to the latter starting to get opportunities that had been extremely hard to come by previously.

    The Blues' goalkeeper got the nod in the Lionesses' first game of the New Year, a 7-2 friendly win over Austria, and while she by no means stole the show, there was nothing she could do about either goal conceded and her all-round game was strong, in distribution and commanding of her area. It didn't feel like a huge thing at the time, though it did seem to confirm Hampton's status as England's second-choice goalkeeper, after she had spent a while being third in the pecking order.

    When she got another run out in the April international break, however, that felt significant. Hampton's place in the line-up for a Euro 2025 qualifier against Ireland marked the first time since September 2022, when Ellie Roebuck started against Luxembourg, that someone other than Earps played a competitive fixture for the Lionesses.

    "She's growing into competition with Mary," Wiegman told of Hampton, praising her "great" form for Chelsea which had helped to turn up the heat on Earps. It was the start of a storyline that would dominate the next 12 months.

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    A door opens

    Perhaps the biggest moment in the race to be England's No.1 came a month later. After Hampton played against Ireland, Earps was restored to the XI for the visit of France in May, with it clear in the difference in standard of opponent that she was still Wiegman's go-to. However, there was less than a minute on the clock when the Lionesses' boss was forced to throw Hampton in for her biggest England experience yet.

    Earps went down with a hip injury just seconds into the match and on went her team-mate, who grabbed the opportunity with both hands. The outing might've ended in defeat to France, but Hampton wasn't at fault for either goal and she made an outstanding save to keep it close.

    More significantly, Earps then withdrew from the England squad. Hampton started the win in France a few days later, making a massive late save to preserve victory, and she kept her place for the last two Euro 2025 qualifiers, despite Earps coming back into the fold for the Lionesses' July camp.

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    Shocking climax

    From there on out, it felt like Hampton maintained the edge in the battle to be No.1. There were ups and downs in that regard, such as when Earps started the high-profile friendly against the United States in November – and was her team's best player. Moments like that meant it always felt like a real race, right until the end. But by the time Earps shockingly called time on her international career in late May, she had started just three of the Lionesses' last 10 games.

    Of course, the other extremely big moment in the battle to be Wiegman's first-choice goalkeeper was that decision by Earps to step away from the national team. It came as a total shock to everyone, including the England boss herself, who was reportedly 'angry' with the timing. Indeed, the news broke just a week before the Lionesses' squad for Euro 2025 was named.

    However, in terms of the race to be England No.1, reported that Earps had already lost and it was that itself which played a significant role in her decision to retire. Hampton had earned the shirt.

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    Taking over

    So, how was Earps' usurped? How did she go from being the undisputed No.1 to being told she was going to be second-choice at Euro 2025? After all, it's not like she suddenly turned into a bad goalkeeper. No, it was more the pressure Hampton was applying as she upped her game to new levels following the move to Chelsea, which came in the summer of 2023.

    Only Khiara Keating, the young Manchester City star who has also made the cut for Euro 2025, had a better save percentage than Hampton that season, with her form leading to incredibly high praise from then-Chelsea boss Emma Hayes. "I say this as the future USA coach: England are so lucky," she told reporters. "I remember watching her play at Birmingham and I said, ‘She is going to be a top, top goalkeeper’. I genuinely believe Hannah has all the ability to become the best in the world."

    That only continued throughout the 2024-25 season – which, in stark contrast, wasn't a good one for Earps. While Hampton starred in Chelsea's treble-winning campaign, one also featuring a run to the Champions League semi-finals, her England team-mate was part of a Paris Saint-Germain side that crashed out in European qualifying and ended the year without a trophy or even a permanent manager.