England goalkeeper Mary Earps has said she appreciates having the space to grow as a footballer away from the spotlight after her move to Paris Saint-Germain last year.
Earps, who won the FIFA Best goalkeeper award in 2022 and 2023, made a move to the French capital in 2024 and has since enjoyed the time away from English football.
“Champions are made when nobody is watching,” Earps told the BBC.
“I’ve kind of gone away from the craziness of England. I get to go away and work hard in silence and just kind of get on with my job quietly,” She added.
The 31-year-old joined PSG from Manchester United, where she was the club’s first choice goalkeeper for four seasons and won the Women’s FA Cup in 2024 before her move to France.
She said the move abroad would make her a “better player.”
“It’s been an amazing few years, but I’m always thinking about what more I can do,” she said.
“I’ve been named best goalkeeper in the world for two years and I did it two years running, which no goalkeeper has done in that time, but I’m thinking I want to do it a third time.
“That’s just how I am, that’s what always drives me. I’m always competing with yesterday’s version of me, and that’s what’s really important to me, how can I be better than I was yesterday?”
Earps, who explained the difficulties in communication when playing for a foreign side, will be back with her reigning European Champion side England on Friday when they face Portugal in the Nations League.
“That’s probably been the biggest challenge so far — trying to get on the same page in the exact moment when the English and the French doesn’t quite mix,” she said.
“If you’re in a stadium full of people, plus the language, plus the timing, that just adds a whole new level of complication.”
PSG are third in the French Première Ligue, eight points behind leaders Lyon.
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