Hampton wins Ballon d'Or Women’s Yashin Trophy as on-stage moment with Earps underscores England goalkeeping shift

Hannah Hampton of Chelsea captured the Women’s Yashin Trophy at Monday night’s Ballon d'Or ceremony, accepting the prize on stage beside former England teammate and rival Mary Earps. Earps had announced her international retirement five weeks before England’s Euro title defense, a decision that surprised teammates and drew public attention ahead of the ceremony. The moment underscored a broader shift in England’s goalkeeping setup as Hampton, long seen as Earps’s successor, stood at the podium with the Lionesses’ future in mind.

On stage, Hampton rose to receive the trophy as her name was announced, sharing a brief, knowing smile with teammate Chloe Kelly before moving toward the podium. Earps remained to Hampton’s left during the moment, and the exchange was punctuated by a short, slightly awkward hug between the two rivals before the winners settled into their spots for the presentation that followed.

Earps, who now plays club football for PSG, had been England’s first-choice goalkeeper for years before Hampton’s rise prompted a change in the pecking order. England head coach Sarina Wiegman publicly acknowledged she was disappointed by Earps’s abrupt retirement, a decision that reportedly surprised teammates and angered the coach. Wiegman later described her reaction as disappointed, and Earps’s exit was quickly framed as a significant turning point for the national team’s goalkeeping landscape.

In Hampton’s moment of triumph, she also took time to acknowledge the broader context of women’s goalkeeping in England. Her acceptance speech paid tribute to Matt Beard, the former Chelsea, Liverpool, West Ham and Bristol City manager who died on Saturday at age 47. Hampton said Beard “lit up the room whenever he was in it” and invoked the idea that the brightest smiles can conceal heavy moments, urging support for colleagues navigating tough times. She added, in a nod to hopes for future generations, that she stood on the shoulders of many great goalkeepers and was proud to be part of a group inspiring younger players.

The ceremony paired the women’s prize with the men’s goalkeeper honor, which was presented to Gianluigi Donnarumma by Gianluigi Buffon, highlighting the event’s broader celebration of the sport’s custodians. But the night’s most discussed moment remained the interaction between Hampton and Earps, and what it signaled about England’s evolving dynamic between its two top shot-stoppers.

Earps herself later spoke about the negative reaction to her retirement. Appearing on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, she said she felt “villainised” by the public response to stepping away from international football five weeks before the Euros, noting that the scrutiny affected not just her but friends and family who followed the coverage closely. “I think I was villainised in a way, it was a bit hard to see and read things,” Earps said, describing the emotional toll of the narrative surrounding her decision.

Hampton’s rise to England’s No. 1 while still early in her career has been marked by a series of high-profile performances, including key saves in the Euros final shootout against Spain. The goalkeeping transition has unfolded amid a broader national conversation about the sport’s development and visibility for women’s football, with Earps’s departure already shaping the expectations placed on Hampton for the next cycle. Hampton has repeatedly credited Wiegman’s faith in her, expressing gratitude to the England manager and to the fans who have supported the Lionesses as they pursue continued success on the international stage.

As Hampton continues to establish herself as England’s first-choice goalkeeper, the Ballon d’Or moment will be remembered as a flashpoint in a season defined by change, resilience and the ongoing push to elevate women’s goalkeeping. For Earps, the retirement marks the end of a storied chapter, while Hampton’s trophy win signals a new one for the England squad—one in which the boundary between admiration and rivalry remains a dynamic part of the sport’s evolving narrative.