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Widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, Fran Kirby has enjoyed a scintillating league season for Chelsea in the Women’s Super League. The 27-year-old has led from the front in what has been a stunning season for the Blues, as they were crowned WSL champions after their 5-0 demolition of Reading earlier this month.
In episode 7 of Certified Chelsea, renowned sports presenter and boyhood Chelsea fan Anant Tyagi gave Blues fans across the world a glimpse of Kirby’s eventful career at the top level.
Kirby has been with Chelsea since 2015 and is all set to go down as one of the club’s greatest ever players, but she’s gone through her fair share of hardships over the years. A product of the Reading youth academy, Kirby was tipped for big things when she burst onto the scene and hit the ground running with a series of eye-catching displays. However, her world came crashing down, as she lost her mother, Denise, at the age of 14.
Losing a parent as a teenager is quite the setback, but Kirby rallied back after a short hiatus from the game and returned in 2012, as she re-joined Reading. In an interview with BBC Sport in 2015, she admitted that her mom was her biggest fan, so she was determined to return to the game and make a mark.
"She wanted me to be a professional footballer and one day it just snapped in my head and I thought, 'you're going have to get yourself back playing,’”
She went on to become the FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division’s top scorer at the age of 19, as he scored a staggering 32 goals in 21 games.
Fran Kirby then signed for Chelsea in 2015 on a record-breaking deal after representing England at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She made her debut against Birmingham and immediately endeared herself to the fans with a fantastic goal, as she started her Chelsea career on the right note.
Her debut set the tone for what was to come, as she played a pivotal role in securing Chelsea’s first-ever WSL title in 2015. Kirby quickly became a fan favorite and continued to rack up the goals, as she won several personal and individual accolades at the club.
In 2020, Kirby suffered another setback, as it was announced that she had been diagnosed with pericarditis. Cardiologists said she might never play again, but Kirby once again defied the odds and returned to the game, as was the case in 2012.
She returned for the crucial encounter against Manchester City in the 2020 FA Community Shield and helped her side record a victory. Kirby reached an important milestone in 2020, as her brace in the 5-0 win against Benfica in the UEFA Women’s Champions League made her Chelsea’s all-time top scorer.
In the 2020-21 season, Kirby notched up 16 goals and 11 assists and forged a fantastic partnership with Sam Kerr, with the duo fondly being referred to as Kerrby. Chelsea women’s team coach Emma Hayes on her star attackers earlier this season, as she compared them to legendary footballers of the men’s game.
"They remind me of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole in terms of the spaces that they fill. I was trying to think of a Chelsea version with Didier Drogba or Gianfranco Zola in it, but they never played together. I think they would say it is most like Thierry Henry and David Bergkamp.”
Kirby has made her mark with Chelsea and has navigated through her fair share of ups and downs to become one of the greats of the game.
