Michelle Agyemang: From ball girl at Wembley to tournament-saving goal

Four years ago Michelle Agyemang made her first trip to Wembley and it was to be a ball girl for the Lionesses' 4-0 win against Northern Ireland.

At that time she was part of Arsenal's academy and wasn't on many people's radars.

Fast forward to 2025 and she scored the goal for the Lionesses that kept them in the competition. But how did she get such a rapid rise?

Michelle Agyemang: A star is born at Euro 2025

Agyemang made her Arsenal senior debut in 2022 at the age of 16 against Leicester City in the Women's Super League.

In 2023 she scored her first senior goal for the Gunners in the FA Cup against Leeds and in the same year she made her first Champions League appearance against Wolfsburg.

However, the forward struggled to break into the team with stars such at Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema regular starters at the time.

It led Agyemang being loaned out over the next few seasons. There was a dual registration deal between Arsenal and Watford for the 2023/24 season, though Agyemang missed the first half of the campaign with injury.

She impressed in the second half of the season and it caught the eye of Brighton who brought her in on loan for the 2024/25 season.

Agyemang was part of the Seagulls squad who recorded their highest-ever WSL finish with fifth place.

Her good form for Brighton grabbed the attention of England manager Sarina Wiegman who called her up for Nations league games against Belgium.

Agyemang was brought on in the second of two games against Belgium and she scored within 41 seconds of her debut. The game finished with a 3-2 loss for England but the goal raised her profile in the game.

She made the cut for the 23-player squad for Euro 2025 and has been used as a substitute.

She made a vital contribution during England's quarter-final against Sweden. England were 2-0 down after 78 minutes but Chloe Kelly and Agyemang were then introduced.

Lucy Bronze scored the first goal of the evening but Agyemang scored the equaliser which pushed the game to extra time and then penalties.

The Lionesses then managed to come away with a penalty shootout win. Bronze scored the winning penalty but had she been needed, if Smilla Holmberg had scored her penalty, Agyemang was next in line in the shootout.

The equaliser has seen the spotlight and headlines gravitate towards the player who is still only 19-years-old.

Agyemang herself has said she is surprised at how quickly she has broken into England's team.

She told the BBC: "It means the world to me to finally be here.

"I don't think I would have expected that maybe a year ago but everything happens for a reason and to be here is great. To step on the pitch, even just to wear the kit is a great privilege for me and I enjoy it - every single second of it."

Agyemang's contributions to the team has also seen her receive praise from boss Wiegman.

She said after the quarter-final: “This is basically why we selected her,” she said.

“We know Michelle hasn’t been in our environment for a long period of time but the moment she came in she did well and she brings something different.

“She has shown that in training, she has shown that against Belgium, she has shown that against France. She is so strong and she scores goals.”

Agyemang is expected to have an off-the-bench role again on Tuesday as England take on Italy in the Euros semi final.