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However, Williams was facing an internal battle outside her career as she became homeless while earning caps for her country.

Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football ahead of the Women's Euro final between England and Spain, the 41-year-old described the obstacles she was forced to face at a young age, including balancing work, sport, and not having a roof over her head.

Williams said: "Yeah, it was extremely difficult.



As a kid, I think you mentioned it there, if you think back to when we first entered into grassroots football at a very young age, there were so many barriers.

But that's where being a JustEats ambassador for the tournament [comes in] and it is partners like them that are pumping money back into the game.

Williams was representing England and also playing domestic football(Image: Jamie McDonald - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)But very few were aware of her personal struggles away from the pitch(Image: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

"The Feed the Game campaign, for me, is one of the reasons why I'm so excited to work with them, because obviously we talk grassroots, we've seen how expensive the game is now.

"I spoke about there not being enough teams when I played and now there’s a lot of teams, but in terms of equipment, in terms of coaching, in terms of it being free.

I know a lot of football now you have to pay for which is another barrier for some underprivileged families."

Williams believes change is coming, slowly but surely, and attributes this to the work the current Lionesses team has put in in building the game with success.

She added: "So it's difficult, and the fact that these companies are pumping money into grassroots, not just for young females, but for young women as well at grassroots level, that have been inspired by the Lionesses.

She guided me and my coaching career, and said it would be a great skill for me.

"She always played a part, she mentored me with that [coaching], and she’s not just [a former coach], now she and I are retired, we are great friends."

Nowadays, Williams spends more time boosting the game that saved her as a youngster, although she admits the current Euro 2025 journey for England has been an "emotional rollercoaster" for the average fan.

When asked for her prediction for the game, the ex-Lioness added: "I can't even give a score prediction because, as I said, I reckon that this England team will put me back on that emotional roller coaster - you know, the frustration, joy, whatever you want to say - because yeah, it’s been a tough watch but an enjoyable outcome."

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Building on their long-term support for women’s football, and to celebrate the Women’s Euros, Just Eat is providing training equipment to 100 women’s and girls grassroots teams via the Feed the Game Fund so they can continue to play the sport they love.

Teams can apply for training equipment at justeat-101.co.uk.

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