The first time I saw Jess Carter play football – at the Women’s Champions League quarter final, where Chelsea were playing Lyon – I took a friend with me. It was a late game at Stamford Bridge, and the cold, dark night made for a tense standoff as the teams were neck and neck for the first 77 minutes. My friend, unfamiliar with the women’s game, noticed Carter’s talent a mile off. ‘Who’s number seven?’ he asked. ‘Look how much she stands out, she’s definitely one to watch.’
And watch we did, as she went on to score the winning penalty for Chelsea, knocking out the French defending champions for the first time in eight years. It just so happened that her girlfriend – teammate and Chelsea goalkeeper Ann- Katrin Berger – also saved Lyon’s final penalty and, between them, they sent Chelsea through to the semi-finals. It was a moment so special it could make even the hardest football fans weep at the romance of it all.
Who is Jess Carter?
Right now, Jess Carter is the talk of sports circles as she takes centre stage as a key defender for England’s national team in the Women’s World Cup – which kicked off on the 20th of July and runs for four weeks. Viewers have noticed her talent too, the player topping Google Trends as searches for ‘Who is Jess Carter?’ and ‘Who is Jess Carter’s partner?’ peak.
Who is Jess Carter's partner, Ann Katrin-Berger?
The search for her partner is perhaps inspired by the fact that Carter could face-off against Berger, her girlfriend of nearly six years during the tournament. While Carter plays for England, Berger plays for Germany.
When I meet Carter in person, it’s actually the day before the England squad is officially announced by manager Sarina Wiegman. And despite this being Carter’s first World Cup tournament, somehow she’s remarkably relaxed.
‘If I weren’t to be selected, I’d be pretty gutted,’ she admits. ‘But I’m also a very chilled person in general. Sometimes that makes managers think I don’t care, but I just think football is fun, so what will be will be.’ It comes as no surprise when Carter is selected just 24 hours later. She’s played a crucial defensive role as part of manager Sarina Wiegman’s vision for the England team, and even as a defender she scores goals. Will it be strange competing against her girlfriend though?
‘Everyone finds it weirder than us, but Ann is even more relaxed than I am,’ says Carter. ‘We’ve only ever known working together – and living together – so for us this is perfectly normal. We can both understand the pressures of the job and how hard we work; we’re lucky we get to share these moments.’
The England team have a tough road ahead in the World Cup, competing without key players - including long-time captain Leah Williamson. She ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a game in April, as did star striker Beth Mead back in November. The spate of bad luck for the Lionesses didn’t end there. In May, it was reported that legendary midfielder Fran Kirby would also miss the World Cup thanks to a knee injury sustained in February.
‘We’ve lost a lot of big players who offer so much to England,’ Carter says. ‘I think it will almost make everyone step up even more. We can’t afford to carry anyone, so we all must work that bit harder and be more switched on. Everyone just wants to make the tournament a success for the girls who can’t be there as well.’
We can't afford to carry anyone.
It does make Wiegman’s job harder, though, with only 11 players on the pitch each game and 23 to choose from – some of whom might be playing in new positions. In good football, it’s almost as if the players are psychically bonded, knowing where each other will take the ball before fans can even see a goal coming. Now, Wiegman has to mastermind a World Cup squad that gels together so well they make it look easy.
The women have to fight for their spots too, proving to Wiegman at each game and training session why they should be selected for starting line-ups or as one of five substitutes for each game. Her most recent decision – to make Millie Bright captain in Williamson’s absence – gives some insight into what the manager wants in a leader and thus her team: calm, composure and humility. For Carter, the team shake-up means everyone will be on their A game.
'I’ve only ever known Leah to be captain and she’s a great leader, so it will be interesting to see if anything is different,’ says Carter. ‘Everyone just has to be open to adjusting but that’s what makes us professional. And you can get complacent, especially when you’re doing so well, but if the Euros were anything to go by, the attitude everyone had was phenomenal I can’t see that changing.’
For the duration of the tournament, players aren’t allowed access to social media – a new rule to avoid distraction by online commentary, which can often be sexist and abusive. As the women’s game has grown in popularity, sadly so has the amount of abuse the players are subjected to.
‘The attention we’ve got since the Euros is incredible, but with the growth of it there is also a negative side [trolling and abusive comments],’ Carter explains. ‘Some get more than others, but we’ve all learned over time not to go on social media at certain times or to turn comments off. Negative comments can mess with people’s mentality, I don’t really care what Tim from Timbuktu says, but I can understand that we need the rule for those who it might affect, we all need to be super-focused.’
That focus will not just be on their own game, but their biggest rivals, too. So, who should we look out for? ‘Australia will be strong because it’s their home tournament, we know first-hand that the support of the fans makes you extra motivated,’ she says. ‘But then there’s also France, Spain, Brazil... the list is endless. Every nation is going to be tough to beat.’
Well, with a Euros win under their belts and a fresh team showing no sign of stopping, we’ll keep our money on England.