Lauren James

Lauren James was born on September 29, 2001, in London, England. She began her youth career at Chelsea from U-10s to U-14s before being scouted by Arsenal at age 13, where she trained with the boys’ team and debuted for the first team at 16, becoming Arsenal’s second-youngest debutant. In July 2018, James joined Manchester United as part of their inaugural professional squad, quickly making an impact by scoring the club’s first-ever goal in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League. She was named FA Women’s Championship Player of the Month in September 2018 and finished as Manchester United’s top scorer in the 2019/20 season with six goals in 12 appearances, earning a nomination for the PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year award.

James returned to Chelsea in July 2021, signing a four-year contract. In her debut 2021/22 season, she made 12 appearances, scoring once and receiving a PFA Young Player of the Year nomination. The 2022/23 season marked a significant turning point, as she became influential in Chelsea securing a second consecutive WSL and FA Cup double. Her performances earned her the WSL Goal of the Month for February, Women’s Young Player of the Year at the London Football Awards, and the PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year award. She extended her contract with Chelsea until 2027. The 2023/24 season saw James continue her strong form, netting a hat-trick against Liverpool in November 2023, for which she won the WSL Player of the Month award. She repeated this feat with another hat-trick against Manchester United in January 2024, finishing the season as Chelsea’s top scorer with 16 goals, named Chelsea Women Player of the Year, and included in the PFA WSL Team of the Year and FIFA FIFPro Women’s World XI.

Her international career began representing England at the U17 and U19 levels. She made her senior international debut in September 2022 during the 2023 World Cup qualification. In February 2023, she scored her first international goal in the Arnold Clark Cup, a tournament where she was named Player of the Tournament. James played a key role in England’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign, scoring her first World Cup goal against Denmark and contributing two goals and three assists against China. Despite a red card incident, England reached the final, where she participated. In September 2024, she launched the LJ10 scholarship program to promote diversity in women’s football. Later that year, she was nominated for the Ballon d’Or and voted into the FIFPRO Women’s World XI for 2024. James contributed to England’s victory in the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, scoring twice against the Netherlands and starting in the final against Spain.