Overview

She has been called the best player in the world. She has been called the Zinedine Zidane of the women's game. She has scored more goals for England than any other player in history. Yet since she was old enough to kick a ball, Kelly Smith has had to battle every step of the way to play the game she loves. All she has ever wanted to be is a footballer. Girls were not welcome when Kelly first started out, practising for hours to hone her sublime skills, but after outshining all the boys in the teams she played in, she became a pioneer for British women's football. A teenage sensation and the nation's first professional footballer, Kelly was soon a star, a genius with the ball at her feet, but a series of injuries led to periods of depression and then alcoholism as she struggled to cope without the buzz the sport gave her. As she nears the end of her glittering career, Kelly now tells the heartfelt story of her triumphs and tragedies, of how she beat her demons to put England on the world football map. It is a tale of how to live your dream, and of how it feels and what it means to be a woman at the very top of her game.

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Kelly Smith was born in Watford on 29 October 1978 and started playing football as soon as she could walk. Prevented from playing in mixed teams, she eventually found a girls side and was soon spotted by American scouts who offered her a university scholarship. By 17, she was already a striker for Arsenal Ladies and an England international. In 1999, Kelly became England's first ever women's professional footballer and played for Philadelphia Charge in the WUSA before returning home to win every honour in the domestic game with Arsenal, including their sensational quadruple in 2007 when they became champions of Europe. She was awarded an MBE in 2008 and is now back with Arsenal after playing for Boston Breakers in the USA. Kelly has scored a record 45 goals in more than 100 appearances for her country, helping England to the final of the European Championships in 2009 and the quarterfinals of the World Cup in both 2007 and 2011. She twice finished third in voting for the FIFA World Player of the Year.

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