Sunday night saw England's Lionesses soar to victory in the Euros, with Birmingham-born goalkeeper Hannah Hampton celebrated as person of the match after she saved two penalties, seeing the England team victorious for a second Euros in a row.
The 24-year-old played down her role in the epic win post-match, saying: "I don't think I deserve the credit, as a team we were unbelievable, Jess Carter had an unbelievable game in defence, she was an absolute rock and no one was getting past us today."
She also shone the spotlight on their manager, Sarina Wiegman, noting: "All I can say is thank you to Sarina for all the belief and faith that she's had in me, she knew what I was capable of, and she's put [faith] in me to showcase what I can do. There's still a lot more to come from me, but my first major tournament, to win it, that's not too bad!"
© Getty ImagesHannah Hampton's visual impairment
Hannah's incredible football skills are all the more impressive when you learn she was born with strabismus. We spoke to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to understand more about Hannah's visual impairment.
"Strabismus means the eyes are not looking in the same direction as each other," the RNIB explains. "While one eye looks forward to focus on an object, the other eye turns either inwards, outwards, upwards, or downwards. Strabismus may also be called a squint and sometimes referred to as a 'turn' in the eye.
© Getty Images"When each eye is looking in a different direction, they are sending different images to the brain," the RNIB continnues. "The brain finds it difficult to merge the two images into one clear image because the images are so different and the eyes are no longer able to work together. The brain learns to ignore or 'switch off' the image from the eye with the strabismus. This causes the vision in that eye to become poor because it is not being used. The vision in that eye will be blurred, which is sometimes called a 'lazy eye'. The medical term for lazy eye is amblyopia."
Depth perception
Hannah's visual impairment means she has no depth perception, explaining on the Fozcast podcast with former England goalkeeper Ben Foster: "I basically have no depth perception, so I can’t judge any distances."
"How does that work as a 'keeper?" Ben Foster asked, to which Hannah explained: "I really don't know. It just does."
Explaining how the condition impacts her, Hannah continued: "When pouring a glass of water, I'll miss the glass if I'm not holding it," adding that her teammates often forget her visual impairment, "The girls do it to me all the time at training: 'Can you make me a cup of tea?' And hold the cup, saying, 'Can I have some milk, please?'. I'll just spill it on their shoes and then they moan at me. 'Well, it's your own fault, isn't it?'"
The RNIB explain how Hannah's depth perception works, noting: "A strabismus can also mean that 3D vision can't develop in a child with the condition. This is because the two eyes are not looking at the same image and are not being used together to provide a 3D image. This can affect depth perception and cause difficulties with judging distances, as well as activities such as catching a ball or navigating steps."
Growing up with strabismus
While Hannah doesn't seem impacted by her visual impairment while playing football, in an interview with The i Paper in 2022, she shared that she suffered "many, many nose bleeds" and "a lot of broken fingers" in childhood because she was constantly putting her hands in the wrong place to catch the ball.
© Getty Images"I've had to adjust my set position to have my hands out to take the ball," she explained. "Trying to catch a ball is quite hard!"
While Hannah's career is thriving, the RNIB notes that strabismus can cause issues for some professions. "Some professions, such as pilot, police officer, some professional drivers, or some roles in the forces, require a certain level of vision to be reached in both eyes and for both eyes to be working together. Keeping this in mind can help with planning future career choices."
Strabismus aside, here's what you need to know about England's goalkeeper
How old is Hannah Hampton?
Hannah was born in November 2000, making her 24 years old.
© Getty ImagesWhere is Hannah Hampton from?
Hannah was born in Birmingham, but moved to Spain during her childhood. Her footballing career kicked off with Villarreal before she returned to England and joined Stoke.
She later played for her hometown team as well as city rivals Aston Villa, where she made 15 appearances in the league during the 2022/23 season before joining Chelsea ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
© The FA via Getty ImagesHannah Hampton's family
Hannah keeps her personal life private, but she is known to be close to her family, taking to Instagram following their Euros win to pen an emotional message to her late grandfather, whom she also paid tribute to via her kit, with 'grandpa' written inside her shirt.
"You were one of my biggest supporters. You believed in me before I even knew what this journey would look like," she wrote. "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.
© Getty Images"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."
For more information about strabismus, please visit the RNIB website
