England Star Kirby Driven On By Late Mother's Memory
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published June 05, 2019 | 11:20 PM
London, June 5 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Jun, 2019 ) :England forward Fran Kirby's first thought if she and her team-mates lift the Women's World Cup in France on July 7 will be for her late mother, Denise.
The 25-year-old Chelsea star told The Players' Tribune the impact of her mum's death after suffering a brain haemorrhage only really hit her years afterwards.
Denise, who was a nurse on psychiatric wards and had done a spell at Broadmoor Hospital which housed the likes of the Yorkshire Ripper, the serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, had always told her daughter she would be a great footballer.
However, those words of encouragement and belief came to a juddering halt when Kirby was just 14. Her mother collapsed when they were at Reading football club for a review of the season, and died the next day.
Kirby recalls treating the immediate aftermath relatively lightly, playing reggae legend Bob Marley's 'Don't Worry About A Thing' on her phone as her best friend was in tears.
However, the delayed emotional reaction finally came in May last year.
She was travelling back from Liverpool with Chelsea having wrapped up the domestic double, and swept the footballer of the year awards while being nominated for the Ballon d'Or.
"You can imagine the mood on the bus," she said.
"In the seats around me, the girls were on fire, singing and celebrating.
"And I ... I was crying.
"I realise now how weird it must have looked.
"My teammates were probably thinking, 'Why is she crying? We've just won the double.' "But all I wanted to do was make a call. There was only one person that I wanted to share that moment with. And I knew I couldn't.
"I never will." - 'A scattered puzzle' - Kirby, who will hope her second World Cup finals is a happier memory after injury ruled her out of the quarter-finals and semi-finals in 2015, said she would have so loved her mum to have witnessed her achievements.
"I think about her every day, but especially when things are going well, because I want to celebrate with her," said Kirby.
"To see me win everything like that, it would have been the most important moment of her life.
"And so I cried. I let it all out.
"I just didn't feel like being tough or strong. I didn't feel like caring about what the other girls thought.
"This time there was no pretending to be O.K. when I wasn't." Kirby, labelled the 'mini Messi' by former England coach Mark Sampson, said her life felt incomplete without her mother.
"My life has often felt like a scattered puzzle, but even when everything seems perfect, and I can see the whole picture, there is still that piece missing," she said.
"My mum is still present in my life. Every goal I score, I dedicate to her. When I am not doing well, I also think about her.
"Sometimes I can still hear her loud voice as she drags me into the car to go to training."
Related Topics
Recent Stories
At least 10 people killed in Brazil fire: officials
Shahzaib Rind calls on Deputy Speaker Balochistan
Ahsan chairs 13th CPEC-JCC preparatory meeting, reviews arrangements for high-le ..
DC Tharparkar inaugurates anti-polio campaign
HDA Mehran workers demand salaries
Taxila police nab motorcycle lifter gang
Inter-university weightlifting championship kicks off at SAU
Walk held in a series of enrollment campaigns
Team from Gaza mediator Egypt arrives in Israel for truce talks
Kids murders: IHC orders psychiatric examination of mother
Health minister credits PML-N for advancements in organ transplantation
Court grants interim bail to Azam Swati in cyber crime case
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
Modern Education Techniques: A pathway to achieve economic development
12 hours ago -
Kite Flying: From cultural festival to deadly sport
12 hours ago -
PDMA predicts gusty wind, rain with thunder, hails
3 days ago -
Iranian president Raisi given guard of honour at PM House
4 days ago -
Intellectuals, writers accolades Naseer Mirza on his literary contribution
5 days ago -
Bahawalpur Adabi Sangat hosts memorable mushaira
5 days ago
-
Cattle farming vital to alleviate poverty in rural areas
5 days ago -
Pakistan: A land of tourism, archeological wonders
6 days ago -
Transforming education sector: from job hunters to job creators
7 days ago -
Amjad Bobby remembered on 19th death anniversary for timeless contributions to music
11 days ago -
Legendary actor Nadeem’s 26 films released on Eid-ul-Fitr days in 50 years
12 days ago -
Besant Hall Cultural Centre to celebrate evening with Sanam Marvi on 26 April
12 days ago