For many footballers, stepping onto the pitch for a European Championship final is a moment filled with excitement and pride.
But for Jess Carter, one of the Lionesses’ standout stars, that moment came with something she had never felt before in her career — fear.
And it wasn’t just the pressure of the game.
It was the shadow of racial abuse that had followed her after England’s quarter-final win over Sweden at Euro 2025.
From Triumph to Target
At just 27 years old, Carter had already helped write a glorious chapter in England’s women’s football history.
She was in Sarina Wiegman’s starting line-up for the nail-biting final against Spain — a match that ended in a dramatic penalty shootout win, securing back-to-back European titles for the Lionesses and avenging their World Cup defeat to the same opponents two years earlier.
But behind the celebrations, Carter was carrying the heavy weight of what she had endured online.
Speaking to ITV News, she admitted that the night before the final, she questioned whether she even wanted to play.
“In my head, I just thought, ‘Are you sure?’ I was scared — scared of the abuse that might come, whether for my performance or simply because of the colour of my skin,” she revealed.
The Morning That Changed Everything
Despite the fear, Carter said everything shifted when she saw her team the next morning.
Their belief in her, along with the support from her family and manager, gave her the strength to walk out onto the pitch and give everything she had.
“Giving up is not in our DNA,” she said.
“We’ve stuck together from day one. I couldn’t be prouder of this team.”
She was also quick to credit the fans, who had been behind the squad throughout the tournament, making it clear that England’s victory wasn’t just about the players on the pitch, but the wider football family standing together.
A Worry for Team-Mates Too
Carter’s concerns didn’t stop with her own experiences.
She admitted she feared the potential racial abuse that could have been aimed at her team-mate Lauren James if the Chelsea forward had been the only player to miss a penalty in their quarter-final shootout against Sweden.
“It’s horrible to say, but it was almost a sigh of relief when players who weren’t black missed,” Carter told BBC Sport.
“Not because we wanted them to fail, but because we knew how bad it would be if LJ was the only one.”
Stepping Away from the Noise
The scale of the online hate forced Carter to take a step back from social media altogether.
England defender Lucy Bronze later condemned the abuse, calling it a “sad fact” that players of colour representing the national team are likely to face racist comments at some point.
“It’s anger and sadness,” Bronze said.
“We want Jess — and every England player — to feel joy and pride when they play for their country, not fear.”
The Fight Against Racism in Women’s Football
The Lionesses have already made a public stand against racism in the past, but manager Sarina Wiegman has admitted more needs to be done, saying it’s “not good enough” that players are still experiencing this kind of abuse.
Women’s football has exploded in popularity in recent years, bringing in record crowds and global attention.
But as Bronze pointed out, more attention can also mean more criticism — and more hateful voices.
“We’re open to critics. That’s part of the sport. But we are not open to abuse,” she said firmly.