‘Boys of a similar age talked about how special she was and how many times they got out-skilled by her’ Chloe Kelly’s junior coach on her start at QPR

Just in case her winner in the Euro 2022 final against Germany wasn’t enough, Chloe Kelly was on hand to slot home the decisive spot kick this summer when the Lionesses defended their European crown against Spain.

That strike was the latest highlight in a career which began on the streets of Southall, where Kelly - the youngest of seven siblings - would often go up against her five older brothers in the Windmill Park Estate cage.

As proving grounds went, that particular concrete pitch in west London would end up being a fitting place for the Arsenal star’s love for the game to take hold.

Chloe Kelly’s QPR coach on her start in football

Kelly would soon graduate from the streets to Queens Park Rangers, where Steve Quashie, her junior coach from the age of eight, was quick to recognise the benefits of her early football education.

“When you’re playing street football, you have to earn respect,” Quashie tells FourFourTwo. “You get that respect by having a no-fear attitude and a determination to not just be on a level playing field with players who are older, bigger, stronger – and in Chloe’s case, the opposite gender – but to be better than them.

“It’s about doing those little things that get a reaction, whether that’s a nutmeg, a rainbow flick, a tackle or a goal. Being in that environment against older and physically stronger boys helped her develop the level of aggression needed in competitive situations. It gives you an edge.”

It was on these streets that Kelly was able to develop the jinky movement and fancy footwork that terrorised defences in Switzerland this summer, and spawn the mental toughness that has enabled her to overcome any setbacks.

“I lived in the same borough as Chloe for many years,” Quashie continues. “Through my work in schools with young groups, it was refreshing to hear boys of a similar age talking about how special she was and how many times they got out-skilled by her. They held her in high esteem.”

Kelly was a season ticket holder at QPR who idolised striker Bobby Zamora and got her first chance to play at Loftus Road as an under-nine in a semi-competitive match against Enfield.

“She was wearing this baggy QPR kit, red-and-black hoops, it was drowning her,” Quashie laughs. “But I remember her posing with her QPR sweatbands.

“Most of the players just went off to their parents at the end of the game, but Chloe had this natural pose of, ‘Yeah, I’m proud to be in my sweatbands’, like when Ronaldo scores and does his celebration.”