“Written in the stars, wasn’t it?” Mary Earps is referring to this season’s Champions League draw, which has pitted her Paris Saint-Germain side against former club Manchester United. Unsurprisingly, Earps’ phone pinged “straight away”, with Ella Toone the predictable name to pop up. “There’s a lot of familiar faces that I’m looking forward to seeing,” she says, with the two to meet at Old Trafford next month.
It's fair to say plenty has happened since Earps last played at United’s iconic ground in the final game of the 2023-24 season. A few weeks later, her move to Paris would be confirmed, while even her status as an England international has changed, following her international retirement ahead of this year’s European Championships.
And that is the shortened version of her last 15 months. Perhaps the best summary of it all comes when GOAL asks the 32-year-old what she has enjoyed most since swapping Manchester for the French capital. “I think in a crazy way, it’s helped me deal with chaos better,” she replies.
Getty ImagesUnder the microscope
Earps had plenty of practice in that sense in her first season at PSG. The club suffered what she describes as a “gut-wrenching” Champions League qualifying exit, recovered to reach a French Cup final and the title-deciding game in the Premiere Ligue play-offs, but then ended the season with defeats in both matches as head coach Fabrice Abriel left his post.
That all came while Earps had plenty of settling in to do off the pitch, living in a bigger city than ever before and learning a new language, and while she was constantly under the microscope at England level, due to the battle with Hannah Hampton to be the Lionesses’ No.1. “It’s definitely been a lot, to say the least,” she says.
“I think it's also the price of success sometimes, being under the microscope. I've had to learn that over the last couple of years, since we won the Euros in 2022, then after the World Cup and [being named] Sports Personality [of the Year]. I try to just take it in my stride as best I can. It's not always easy, it's not always sunshine and rainbows, but I think all you can do is be grateful. Be grateful that that's on your shoulders, see that pressure as a privilege and take it as a compliment.”
AdvertisementGetty Images'At peace' with England
That attention was particularly big back in May, when Earps shocked everyone by calling time on her England career. After being one of the Lionesses’ biggest stars during their Euro 2022 triumph and the run to the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, she watched Sarina Wiegman’s side retain their continental crown in July as a fan – quite literally, after flying to Switzerland for some of the tournament.
“I didn't know how I was going to feel until I got there,” she says. “I hoped that I'd feel all right because it definitely wasn't an easy decision to make. I think it was nice for me to go. I wanted to go and show up in person. That was really important to me.
“I was sitting with Tooney's boyfriend, Joe, and we were just hanging out and it was just dead nice. I felt proud watching. I felt like this was how it was meant to be. I guess when you're at peace with your decision… I think it was reaffirming in a way, that I knew I could go and there weren’t all these mad emotions. And it was nice that I could see them afterwards, just briefly before I had to hop on a flight back and get back into pre-season.
“I think it's brilliant that they've won and what they continue to do for women's football. [Euro] 2022 massively changed the game for women's football in England and I think another win just cements that. It improves the situation and the conditions for future generations to come through and that's something I'm hugely passionate about. I really enjoyed watching them and watching my friends win. I feel immense pride.”
Getty ImagesChange aplenty in Paris
Earps’ full focus from here on out is on PSG then, as they look to bounce back from the disappointments of last season. They were dealt some blows in the transfer market, losing Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Korbin Albert to bitter rivals Lyon while captain Grace Geyoro became the most expensive women’s player of all-time when she signed for London City Lionesses. But there was some good recruitment, too, with Olga Carmona, the Real Madrid and Spain star, and Rasheedat Ajibade, named Player of the Tournament as Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations in the summer, joining a squad now headed up by Paulo Cesar, formerly the coach of the Under-19s.
“Change of players, change of formation, change of coach, there's been a lot of change,” Earps notes, “but we're all focused on the same goal. I think the team that we've got, we've got a good spirit, a good togetherness. We've started the season okay but we're nowhere near the level that we could reach. That’s exciting. We're still a new team coming together and there's a long way that we can go.”
PSG have the benefit of time when it comes to the Premiere Ligue, which has recently changed to adopt a play-off format at the end of the season to crown the champion. It means as long as the Parisians finish in the top four, they have a shot at dethroning a Lyon side that has won 18 of the last 19 titles. “They're an incredible team,” Earps says. “Lyon are always trying to reinvent themselves. You can see the way that they've invested this year, the players they've signed, the resources they put into their team. It's great that Lyon continue to do that for their women's side but it just puts more fire in my belly that I want to go toe-to-toe with these giants.”
Getty ImagesA special fixture
Time isn't on PSG's side as much when it comes to the Champions League, however, which begins its league phase on Tuesday. Earps admits that herself. "So it's not a case of just keep building, keep building," she adds. "We've obviously got to perform and get results.” The Parisians will start against another of Earps’ former clubs, Wolfsburg. The former England goalkeeper enjoyed her first overseas spell with the two-time winners, in the 2018-19 season, something she fondly recalls as "an incredible point in my career" that "taught me a lot".
It doesn’t get much easier, either. Real Madrid are second on their list and Bayern Munich are fourth, after that trip to Old Trafford. “I never really got an opportunity to say goodbye, so I'm looking forward to it,” Earps says of her return to Manchester. “I think the pressure of playing for Man Utd helped prepare me for the pressure that you feel at PSG as well. They are both really big clubs and they actually have a lot of similarities. I think that they've both got really passionate fan bases who naturally want the best for their club and take a really big interest and pride in the success of the team.
“Ultimately, I hope it's an incredible game between two great teams at an incredible stadium on a great night in the Champions League. What more can you want? Those are the games that you live for.”
