‘He’s watching over her’published at 14:24 British Summer Time
14:24 BST
England v Spain (17:00 BST)
For England duo Ella Toone and Beth Mead, Euro 2025 has been particularly difficult.
It is the first major tournament both have played since losing a parent, with Mead losing her mum, June, to ovarian cancer in January 2023, while Toone’s dad, Nick, was diagnosed with prostate cancer and died in September 2024.
“We were talking about him only the other day as a family,” Toone’s boyfriend Joe Bunney told BBC Sport. “Nick would’ve loved this.
“The inspiration Nick gave us to support Ella in the way he did was great. Hopefully one more step and we can win the Euros for him. Every goal she scores, every game, he’s watching over her.
“For Ella, it’s really important the people she has around her. Beth Mead as well. They’re going through a similar thing. It’s nice for them to have each other and they are so strong to get through what they’ve been through in a football season and then go to the Euros.”
Image source, Getty Images