After being part of the England squad that won Euro 2022 and the side that reached the World Cup final a year later and with a move to Barcelona in the pipeline, Ellie Roebuck was living out the dream of millions.
After beginning her career with Sheffield United, she moved to Manchester City in 2015 and worked her way up through the youth system, making a senior debut in 2018, with an England debut following later that year.
Ellie Robuck on how her stroke shaped her life
“Playing football now is more of a gift than anything,” Roebuck tells FourFourTwo when asked how the stroke changed her life. “I used to hang a lot of my moods on winning or losing a game, but now it’s about enjoying being back on the pitch.
“It’s been a long journey, a long 18 months, but I’ve learned a lot about myself and now I’m in a position where I just want to crack on, fulfil my potential and push my own boundaries.”
Roebuck’s final appearance for Manchester City came in May 2023, and would go on to reveal in March 2024 that she had suffered an infarct in her occipital lobe earlier that season.
She signed a pre-contract with Barcelona in April of 2024, with the Spanish side being kept up to date with her recovery, and Roebuck would undergo further rehabilitation when she joined up with the then-European champions.
She made her Barca debut in December 2024, 19 months after he final appearance for City. Roebuck would only make two appearances for the club before being released in the summer and is now back in the WSL with Aston Villa.
“When something is taken away from you and you can’t do anything about it,” she says, reflecting on her journey back to full health and fitness. “I wasn’t playing, training, doing anything for a good six months – that was really difficult.
“You get in your own head a lot. It was scary to go through something so big at such a young age. But that’s life and those are the cards you’re dealt. It’s about trying not to mope over that and getting on with things.
“There’ll be good and bad days, but the brain is a powerful thing. It can also be scary at times, but I’m still learning and on that journey. After 18 months, I’m not going to say I’m normal – because what is normal anyway? Whether it’s blowing my own trumpet or not, I’m just proud of myself because there were times I doubted that it would ever be possible.
“I’m just excited to be able to return to England and do what I love the most – playing football and winning games.”
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