England hero Hannah Hampton has paid tribute to her grandfather who died just two days before the Lionesses began their triumphant Euro 2025 campaign.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper, who was told as a young girl that she could not play football due to a serious eye condition, played a pivotal role in the tournament and saved two penalties in the final on Sunday night.

As the Lionesses soaked up the celebrations and sparked scenes of jubilation across the country, Hampton said: ‘We’ve got that grit, that English blood in us. We never say die.’

Although he was not alive to fulfill his ‘dream’ of seeing her walk out for her country at her first major tournament, Hampton emotionally penned: ‘I hope I made you proud, Grandpa. I carried you through every minute. I did it. WE DID IT.’

Hampton shared the heartbreaking tribute on Instagram, where she also revealed she had ‘Grandpa’ printed on the inside of her green jersey.

Her post came just hours before the Lionesses touched down on British soil for the first time since lifting the trophy on Sunday night. 

The squad could be seen arriving at Southend Airport this afternoon, where they posed for photos with the trophy in front of a personalised Nike plane that featured the word ‘Home’ in red letters.

They will head to Downing Street this afternoon before celebrating with an open-top bus parade through central London tomorrow.

England star Hannah Hampton has revealed a family heartbreak she suffered prior to Euro 2025

She posted a picture of her jersey, which had the word ‘Grandpa’ written beneath her squad number of 222

Hampton penned a lengthy, emotional message in memory of her grandfather on social media

The tribute came just hours before the Lionesses touched down on British soil for the first time since lifting the trophy on Sunday night

Players and staff were then seen emerging from the aircraft to a crowd of around 300 Brits who had waited to welcome them home. 

Hampton saved penalties from both Mariona Caldentey and Ballon d’Or winner Aitana to send England on their way to Euros glory for a second tournament running.

She wrote: ‘Two days before the biggest tournament of my life, you left.

‘It still doesn’t feel real. I kept thinking when I’d call nannie I’d hear your voice again – one of your jokes, or one of those little comments you’d make that somehow said everything without saying much at all.

‘You were one of my biggest supporters. You believed in me before I even knew what this journey would look like. You were always there – watching, encouraging, teaching. You taught me so much, not just about football, but about life. About staying grounded, working hard, being resilient and doing things the right way.

‘I miss our chats. I miss you saying ‘Only us athletes understand’ — always with a little smirk like you were in on something special. And you were. You got it. You understood what this meant to me. You understood what it took.

‘It breaks my heart that you didn’t get to see me walk out for our country at my first major tournament… something you dreamed of for me, something we talked about so many times. I wanted to see your face or hear your voice after the game calling back home. I wanted to share that with you.

‘But I know, deep down, you were still there. I felt you with me. In the tunnel. On the pitch. In the tough moments. I heard you in my head when I needed strength.’

England hero Chloe Kelly arrives at Southend Airport following the team’s victory on Sunday

Leah Williamson steps off the plane with the trophy, with manager Sarina Wiegman stood behind her

Maya Le Tissier, Beth Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones of England pose for a photo as they arrive at Southend Airport

Hampton, 24, was one of England’s star performers over the course of Euro 2025 

Hampton took to Instagram to share a touching tribute to her grandfather on Monday

Hampton, pictured being congratulated by Prince William, is now a contender for the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award following her stunning form in the tournament

Hampton’s team-mate Ella Toone posted her own tribute to her late father Nick, as well as fellow Lioness star Beth Mead’s mother, June, who died from ovarian cancer 18 months ago

Hampton also saved two penalties in England’s chaotic quarter-final win over Sweden, establishing herself as one of the breakout stars of the summer.

It marks a remarkable rise for the keeper, who was an understudy to Mary Earps during England’s Euros triumph on home soil in 2022 and again at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Earps herself won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2023 after saving a penalty in the World Cup final — also against Spain — albeit in a losing cause.

Earps finished ahead of Stuart Broad and Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the public vote that year.

According to Betfair, Hampton is now joint second-favourite at 5/1 to win SPOTY, behind only Rory McIlroy, who leads the market at Evens after a stellar season that included winning The Masters in April — his first Green Jacket and fifth major overall

It comes after Hampton’s team-mate Ella Toone posted her own tribute to her late father Nick after the Lionesses tasted European glory for the second tournament in succession. 

After the final whistle, she took to Instagram to post that there was a spare seat next to her mother during the final, adding: ‘If that’s not a sign I don’t know what is’.

Toone, 25, also uploaded a picture alongside Beth Mead, who lost her mother June to ovarian cancer 18 months ago, which was captioned: ‘We did it for our angels in the sky. Forever with us and forever proud’. 

Toone added: ‘My dad, I went up to see my family and my mum she said there was a spare seat next to her.

She kept her side in the final and then stood up to the pressure of the dreaded shoot-out

‘He was there and that was the sign I was looking for today. My family, my dad, everyone who has got me here today, they have been my support network from the very start.’

While Hampton will now go down in England folklore thanks her Euro heroics, life has not been an easy ride for Sarina Wiegman’s new star.

At a young age, Hampton was diagnosed with strabismus – a depth perception condition caused by one eye turning differently than the other. By the age of three, she had already undergone three operations in an attempt to correct the issue. None proved successful, and doctors advised her to avoid playing sports altogether.

Such was the difficulty of the problem that she would struggle to pour herself water, spilling it all over herself if she wasn’t holding the glass.

But even as a child, Hampton wasn’t one to be deterred. Despite frequent bloody noses and broken fingers – early results of her misjudging ball trajectory – she was determined to keep playing.

‘I think I’ve always gone through life trying to prove people wrong,’ she said. ‘I was told from a young age that I couldn’t play football, that it wouldn’t be a profession I could pursue – the doctors told my parents that.’ 

Instead, that warning only fuelled her ambition. ‘Finding that out made me more determined to reach the highest level possible. Playing sport was always my passion and my dream.’

That dream began taking shape when her family moved to Spain when she was five. Her parents wanted her to learn a new language and culture, but it also opened footballing doors. Hampton was soon scouted by Villarreal and joined their academy, spending five years on Spain’s east coast learning to play as a striker.

After moving to Spain aged five Hampton was scouted by Villarreal and played as a striker

At a young age, Hampton was diagnosed with strabismus – a depth perception condition caused by one eye turning differently than the other

Still, she insists she had no plans to take a penalty for England in the quarter-final, unlike Sweden’s goalkeeper Jennifer Falk, who missed their fifth and final spot-kick in that shootout. So too in the final, her heroics were firmly with the gloves, rather than her boots.

‘They told me to focus on the saving part first and then when it comes to it I would’ve taken one,’ a delighted Hampton said after the match. ‘I get a bit excited – my striker instincts come out!’

There hasn’t always been a jubilant mood radiating from Hampton, and part of that has come down to a difficult journey to get to where we are today.

Her vision issues have never fully disappeared, and for someone as emotionally attuned as Hampton, the rollercoaster of goalkeeping – with its dizzying highs and brutal lows – has at times taken its toll, especially in her younger years.