‘Can’t Be Arsed With That’ – Why Lionesses Hero Chloe Kelly Ditched Superstitions

Arsenal and England Star on Football, Equal Pay, and Finding Joy in the Game Again

Chloe Kelly is not one for fuss. For all the headlines she has created on the pitch – scoring title-winning goals, lifting trophies with England and Arsenal – she insists that life is simpler than people might think. No rituals, no strange pre-match habits, no endless worrying about luck. In her words: “I can’t be arsed with that any more.”

It is a statement that says much about where the 27-year-old Lionesses hero finds herself today: confident, grounded, and very much at peace with both the game she plays and the life she lives away from the spotlight.

Chloe Kelly: A Hero of the Lionesses

When football fans look back on the last five years of the women’s game in England, certain moments stand out. Chloe Kelly’s winning strike in the Euro 2022 final at Wembley is one of them. It wasn’t just a goal – it was the goal that finally ended decades of hurt for England at senior international level. Shirt twirling above her head, face lit up in disbelief and joy, Kelly became an icon in a single, unforgettable moment.

Fast forward to 2025, and she remains a central figure for both England and Arsenal. Over the summer, she once again proved decisive, helping England defend their European crown on Swiss soil. Few players have developed such a knack for being in the right place at the right time when it matters most.

But as she tells it, the woman behind the famous celebration is still just Chloe – the youngest of seven siblings from West London, who loves her family, her dogs, and the simple joy of playing football.

Moving Away from Superstitions

Chloe Kelly shin pads

Every footballer has a story about superstitions. Some lace up one boot before the other. Some insist on listening to the same song before every match. Others wear lucky socks until they practically fall apart. For Kelly, those quirks once felt important.

After suffering a serious knee injury in 2021, though, her perspective shifted.

“No,” she explained in a recent interview with The Sunday Times. “After my injury I moved away from superstitions because I realised they don’t mean anything. I still put my left boot on first, left everything first, then right. But you’ll see in this tournament I wore four different hairstyles, whereas in the past I’d always make sure I had my headband and my hair in a certain way. I can’t be arsed with that any more.”

It’s the voice of experience – of a player who has seen how fragile a football career can be and who no longer wants to waste energy on rituals she knows won’t change the outcome. Her shin pads, though, still carry reminders of what matters: a picture from her wedding day, and her beloved dogs. Symbols not of superstition, but of grounding.

Equal Pay Debate? “That’s Not What We Chase”

Kelly has also never been afraid to speak plainly on subjects bigger than football itself. One of the longest-running debates in women’s sport is about equal pay with the men’s game. For some players, it’s the defining issue. For Kelly, it’s not the hill she wants to die on.

“It’s just football,” she said. “It’s not men’s football, it’s not women’s football. Women can’t be men, so we’re never going to play men’s football. We are our own game. I don’t think equal pay is what we chase. We want equal access for young girls lower down the leagues and better standards in our sport. Pay is not everything to us because there was a time when women couldn’t play the sport at all. If we chase pay, we’ll probably lose the love for the game.”

It’s a perspective that has resonated with many. Rather than getting drawn into a financial tug-of-war, Kelly is focused on growth where it matters: grassroots opportunities, training standards, and ensuring the next generation of girls don’t have to fight for a place on the pitch the way her generation did.

Arsenal, Champions League, and Life in North London

Chloe Kelly Arsenal 2024-25

The past year has been transformative at club level too. After a loan return to her roots from Manchester City, Kelly made her move to Arsenal permanent, and it has already paid off in spectacular fashion.

In May, Arsenal lifted the Women’s Champions League, a trophy the club had been chasing for over a decade. Kelly was central to their success, her energy and direct running giving Jonas Eidevall’s side the cutting edge in big games.

For Kelly, that triumph fed directly into the confidence she carried into the Euros with England. “It was a dream,” she said after Arsenal’s win in Bilbao. “To bring that kind of momentum into the summer with England made it even more special.”

The Person Behind the Player

Despite the medals and the fame, Kelly insists she hasn’t changed much. She remains happiest when surrounded by the constants in her life: family and dogs. Her teammates often joke about her being the one who keeps things light in the dressing room – quick with a smile, always ready with a joke.

The shin pads say it all. While others might tuck four-leaf clovers or religious tokens into their boots, Kelly chooses reminders of her real-world joy: the people and pets who know her outside of football.

It is perhaps this balance that allows her to handle pressure with such calm. Penalty shootout in a European final? No problem. Last-minute sprint into the box at Wembley? Just another day at work.

What’s Next for Chloe Kelly?

As the 2025–26 season unfolds, Kelly’s ambitions remain twofold: more silverware with Arsenal and continued success with England. Both look realistic.

Arsenal have built one of the deepest squads in Europe, while the Lionesses, under Sarina Wiegman, are still the team to beat. Kelly’s role in both set-ups is secure: a wide forward who can change games with one burst of pace, one clever cut inside, one fearless finish.

Beyond that, she is also conscious of the role she plays off the pitch. She speaks regularly about wanting to inspire young girls, not through slogans or campaigns, but by being visible, approachable, and honest.

“I just want to be the best version of myself,” she says simply. “And if that helps someone else believe they can do it too, that’s even better.”

Conclusion: Chloe Kelly’s Simplicity Is Her Strength

Chloe Kelly’s story is one of resilience, growth, and clarity. She has walked away from the trappings of superstition, chosen not to obsess over pay debates, and focused instead on the joy of playing, the love of family, and the progress of the women’s game.

It is perhaps this very simplicity that has made her such a force on the pitch. For all the noise that surrounds modern football, Kelly remains refreshingly straightforward: play hard, love the game, cherish the people around you, and don’t sweat the rituals that don’t matter.

She may laugh at the idea of superstitions, but for England and Arsenal, one thing has become certain: when Chloe Kelly is on the pitch, magic has a way of happening.