England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton paid an emotional tribute to her late grandfather after revealing he passed away two days before the start of Euro 2025.
Hampton was the hero of England’s shootout victory over Spain in Sunday’s final as she saved two penalties to set up Chloe Kelly to seal glory for the Lionesses.
The 24-year-old started for England at the first time at a major tournament after replacing Mary Earps between the posts but was a revelation as the Lionesses defended their title.
Hampton wore “Grandma” printed on her England shirt during the tournament and she said he had been one of her biggest supporters on her journey.
Hampton posted on Instagram: “Dear Grandpa. Two days before the biggest tournament of my life, you left. It still doesn’t feel real.
“I kept thinking when I’d call nannie I’d hear your voice again – one of your jokes, or one of those little comments you’d make that somehow said everything without saying much at all.
“You were one of my biggest supporters. You believed in me before I even knew what this journey would look like.
“You were always there: watching, encouraging, teaching. You taught me so much, not just about football, but about life. About staying grounded, working hard, being resilient and doing things the right way.
“I miss our chats. I miss you saying, ‘only us athletes understand’ – always with a little smirk like you were in on something special. And you were. You got it. You understood what this meant to me. You understood what it took.
“It breaks my heart that you didn’t get to see me walk out for our country at my first major tournament.
“Something you dreamed of for me, something we talked about so many times. I wanted to see your face or hear your voice after the game calling back home. I wanted to share that with you.
“But I know, deep down, you were still there. I felt you with me. In the tunnel. On the pitch. In the tough 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 always will. I did it. We did it.”
England head coach Sarina Wiegman called for further investment in women’s football to ensure the country remains a “trailblazer” as her side celebrated their Euro 2025 success at a “very, very special” reception at 10 Downing Street on Monday evening.
A homecoming open-top bus parade follows in central London on Tuesday, where there will be a procession along The Mall and the celebration will finish with a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace.
England’s Euro 2025 final victory over Spain was watched by combined a peak TV audience of 16.2m across the BBC and ITV, making the Lionesses’ win the most watched moment of 2025.
Chloe Kelly scored the decisive penalty in the shootout against Spain as Hampton made two saves to secure back-to-back European titles for England. The final attracted an average TV audience of 12m across both BBC and ITV.
The BBC said a peak audience of 12.2m watched England make history across its platforms, including a peak of 11.6m on BBC One – representing a 59 per cent share of all TV audiences on Sunday evening.
It was the most-watched moment on TV this year, with ITV recording a peak of 4.2m viewers during the final. ITV attracted an audience of 10.2m for England’s semi-final win over Italy, which was the channel’s biggest audience for 2025.
There was a peak audience of 17.4m when the Lionesses won the previous Euros in 2022, which saw England win a major men’s or women’s tournament for the first time since 1966 by beating Germany in extra time at Wembley.
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