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Five England Lionesses were named in the King's New Year's Honours list, which was announced today. Leah Williamson, Alex Greenwood, Kiera Walsh, Georgia Stanway, and Ella Toone will all receive MBEs.
It is a huge surprise that Chloe Kelly was not on the list as well. Arsenal fans are furious with one posting on social media: "What more does Chloe Kelly have to do? Scores the winning goal in euros 2022 and the winning penalty in euros 2025 and she gets nothing.. unbelievable."
Kelly has been key in England's back-to-back European Championship victories. These wins have been key to the growth of women's soccer across the United Kingdom. The forward also helped Arsenal win the Champions League earlier this year.
She is an inspiration for the way she has fought back from injury and a difficult period at Manchester City. However, Kelly has found a home back at Arsenal, where there is no doubt that she is appreciated.
Kelly began her career at Arsenal before playing for Everton and then City. She returned to the Gunners last January before making the move permanently. Kelly is also a familiar sight at Baller League, where she manages the six-a-side team, Clutch FC.
Notable soccer players have often been overlooked for honours
The England captain, when England won the World Cup in 1966, never got knighted. Bobby Moore did receive an MBE, and there have been calls for him to get a knighthood posthumously. From the team that claimed England's only World Cup win, just Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Bobby Charlton were knighted. Their manager, Sir Alf Ramsey, also received the award.
Sir Gareth Southgate has also been knighted despite not winning anything with England. However, Southgate's contribution to English soccer has been phenomenal. He was also so close to glory as England manager, taking the side to two European Championship finals.
David Beckham finally became a knight earlier this year. This was long overdue, but it did not help with Beckham's leaked emails expressing his frustration at not getting the award in the past. There were explicit messages from Beckham that got into the public domain back in 2017.
Eventually, due to his contribution to English soccer and his charity work, Beckham became a Sir. Kelly has not been recognized for her services to women's soccer this time around, but an MBE is sure to be on its way in the future.