As a young Chloe Kelly stood by the side of the pitch practising keepie uppies while her older brothers played, all the boys would look on in envy at the skills displayed by the football-loving youngster.
“Everybody in the team knew they were in the presence of greatness and even though Chloe was only about four then, her footballing skills had them looking on in wonder,” recalls Steve Pound, who was MP for Ealing North in London, in northwest London where Kelly grew up and where her family still resides.
The Manchester City player is the youngest of seven siblings, with five older brothers, including triplets.
Pound, whose son Pelham used to play football with Chloe’s brothers when younger – and still plays in a pub football team with her brother Jack – remembers Kelly practising on the sidelines and eagerly throwing the ball in whenever it came off.
“You could just see the frustration and longing to play on Chloe’s face as she stood by the side of the pitch wishing she was on it,” says Pound. “Chloe was absolutely extraordinary and from the moment she could toddle, she showed an incredible talent for football.
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“Even at a young age, the boys were envious of her footballing skills. Everybody in the team knew they were in the presence of greatness. That precocious talent was visible from an early age; not just when it came to footballing skills, but passion for the game.”
He adds: “Chloe’s brothers joke and say: ‘We taught her everything to do with football’. But I think it was the other way round and she certainly taught all the boys a thing or two!”
Like the rest of the nation, Pound has been watching the achievements of the Lionesses in the Euros with pride and describes Chloe as a “game-changing sub”.
“Chloe totally changed the game against Spain when she came on and it is wonderful to see her footballing talents go from strength to strength.”
He also praised the 24-year-old for her hard work and tenacity in coming back from a serious knee injury which ruled her out of the Olympics in Tokyo last summer.
“To come out of a bad injury like she did and train hard shows her great work ethic and persistence,” he says.
“I will never forget that little girl doing keepie uppies at the side of the pitch while her brothers and the other lads looked on enviously at her skills.”
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