Francesca Kirby is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chelsea FC Women and the England national team. She began her career with her local team Reading before moving to Chelsea in July 2015. In August 2014, Francesca Kirby won her first senior cap for England. She represented her country at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, and the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 in the Netherlands.
In April 2018, Francesca Kirby was awarded the PFA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year and the Football Writers’ Women’s Footballer of the Year. As of December 2020, she is Chelsea’s leading all-time scorer.
Francesca Kirby was born on June 29, 1993, in Reading, England. She began playing football as a young girl after watching her brother play. At age 7, she joined Reading’s academy and made her senior debut at 16. However, she had a difficult period and after the debut missed the primary football for a while.
Francesca Kirby returned to the club of Reading in 2012 and went on to become the FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division’s top scorer for the 2012–2013 season, with 32 goals in 21 appearances. With Reading promoted to the newly formed Women’s Super League 2 for 2014, Francesca Kirby helped the team achieve third place with 24 goals in sixteen appearances. She ended the season as the league’s top goalscorer.
Francesca Kirby moved to Chelsea FC Women in 2015. In October 2015, she scored twice in Chelsea’s 4–0 win over Sunderland which secured the club’s first FA WSL title, a league and cup double. The same month, she scored Chelsea’s first-ever UEFA Women’s Champions League goal in a 1–0 win over Glasgow City. Since then she is one of the most important players for the team and England’s national team.
Francesca Kirby photos
