Did You Know? Five facts about England’s World Cup star Ellen White

England take on Norway in the quarter-final of the 2019 Women’s World Cup on Thursday.  

Phil Neville’s side are favourites in the tie as they look to fend off a Norway side brimming with confidence after their penalty shootout victory over Australia in the last-16.

The Lionesses will be looking for star striker Ellen White to continue her rich vein of form after scoring four goals in her three appearances, averaging a goal every 61 minutes on the field.

The centre-forward recently put pen-to-paper with Manchester City after impressing at Birmingham City, where she scored 23 goals in 26 appearances for the West Midlands side.

At the age of 30, the former Chelsea and Arsenal player is still sharp and agile, often breaking through the lines of defence and opening heaps of space between the opposing midfield and defence.

The Aylesbury-born forward has collected an astonishing number of accolades in her career, both individually and at her respective clubs.

White won the WSL in two consecutive seasons (2011 and 2012), two FA Cups (2011, 2013) and three WSL Women’s Cups (2011, 2012, 2013) as well as the FA Women’s Premier League Cup in 2010 whilst at Leeds United.

Here we will share five lesser known facts about the talented attacker…

GB Olympian

White represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games. She appeared in four of their five fixtures but did not register a single goal as the side crashed out in the round of 16. The attacker was just 23-years-old at the time and was the youngest forward in the squad, however this did not stop manager Hope Powell from giving the then Arsenal star game time.

Unlikely Icon

After scoring the decisive goal in the 2-1 victory over Scotland in the group stage of the World Cup 2019, the striker celebrated by instantly imitating that the forward was wearing goggles. In what seemed like a basic celebration that may have been linked to off-the-pitch antics with her teammates, it was in fact a nod to FC Koln striker Anthony Modeste. The Frenchman is one of White’s favourite players, and she is all the more fond of the 31-year-old after he returned to the German club after a brief spell in the Chinese Super League.

Captain Roomie

The centre-forward rooms with England captain Steph Houghton on international duty, where the pair often sit down and enjoy their daily dose of Love Island on ITV2. It has also been said that White also enjoys an episode or two of American drama series Grey’s Anatomy, starring Justin Chambers and Ellen Pompeo.

Special Delivery

White was the top goalscorer in the Women’s Super League and England’s Player of the Year in 2017/18, however she was not able to collect her awards as she was away enjoying Steph Houghton’s hen party! Luckily her husband Callum Convery was on hand to collect the trophies and take them home.

Footballing Father Figure

Ellen White’s father Jon ran a football academy when the striker was young. The children’s academy, Mini Ducks, targets 3-6 year olds and works in partnership with many Aylesbury teams. White played at the academy in her younger years, where the Arsenal Ladies youth product found and developed her love for the beautiful game.