The Lionesses have won all four of their World Cup games so far, with the knock-out match against Nigeria proving to be the biggest test yet. The team has beaten Haiti, Denmark, China and Nigeria, and there's one player in particular that everyone's talking about – Lauren James.
This is Lauren's first World Cup and she has proven herself to be England's secret weapon. She scored two goals (nearly three) in England's 6-1 triumph over China and she's become one of the tournament's top scorers. However, after being sent off with a red card during England's match against Nigeria, her future in the tournament is uncertain.
So, who is Lauren James and will she be able to play in the quarter final? Here's everything you need to know about the star forward.
Who is Lauren James?
Lauren James is an England forward from Whitton in London and is currently the Lionesses' top World Cup goal scorer. She earned her first England call-up in 2020 but wasn't played, and made her England debut in 2022 against Austria.
While she wasn't in the Euro-winning squad last year, she has been an invaluable player in every game so far.
Is Lauren James on Instagram?
Yes! She can be found on Instagram at @laurennjjames where she shares her favourite victory snaps.
How old is Lauren James?
Lauren was born on 29 September 2001 and is currently 21 years old. She is England's youngest player of the tournament. She was the winner of the Young Player of the Year Award at the Women's Football Awards last season.
How tall is Lauren James?
Err that's right, you asked, so we'll answer - Lauren James is 5ft 9in tall.
Is Lauren James in a relationship?
Like several members of the England team, Lauren has not publicly addressed her relationship status and she keeps her social media pretty professional too. So apologies to any noesy fans, your guess is as good as ours!
Lauren James's top goals
With three goals under her belt, Lauren has caught the nation's attention. In England's match against Denmark she scored a goal within the first ten minutes of play. And in England's match against China she scored twice – with a third goal being denied by Var officials who said the ball had bounced to Lucy Bronze.
Lauren James red card
After being sent off with a red card in England's match against Nigeria, Lauren James is expected to receive a three match ban. In the World Cup, a red card only equals a one match ban, but it's likely FIFA will review the incident and extend it if they think violent conduct took place.
Lauren stamped on her opponent Michelle Alozie while getting up from a fall. She was originally given a yellow card before the footage was reviewed and she was given a red card. Whether she will be able to rejoin the squad in their next match is uncertain.
Who does Lauren James play for?
When she's not playing for England, Lauren is a forward for Chelsea in the Women's Super League. She was scouted by Arsenal when she was 13 years old and trained with the boys' team, but within two years she began training with the first team.
On 29 October 2017, Lauren made her debut for Arsenal by coming on in the 67th minute, which made her the second-youngest player in Arsenal's history to make their debut.
In 2018, she joined Manchester United and by September she was voted FA Women's Championship player of the month due to her three goals across the team's unbeaten opening month. In July 2021, she signed a four year contract with Chelsea.
Who is Lauren James's brother?
Lauren's brother Reece James is a Premier League footballer who also plays for England and Chelsea. The 23-year-old recently posted a picture of his sister on his Instagram story to celebrate her World Cup success with the caption, 'another day at the office'.
Reece has called his sister is a 'better finisher' than him and took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to say how proud he is of her achievements. Last year he wrote, 'Super proud of @laurenjamess22!! She inspires me everyday and will continue to. I believe she is the best women footballer in the world, and will be for the next 10-15 years, without doubt. She’s technically better than some Prem players.'
Their father Nigel James is a UEFA-qualified coach so it's clear where the siblings got their skills from. But make no mistake, Lauren doesn't plan to live in her brother's shadow. Speaking before the World Cup started, she said she doesn't want to be known as Reece's sister: 'I want to carve out (my own name) and be known as "this is Lauren James".'