Until four years after England's 1966 World Cup coronation, women's football had been banned professionally for nearly 50 years. But while the Three Lions have failed to rediscover that winning touch through countless near-misses and summers of hurt, the Lionesses' triumphant roar in 2022 finally brought football home again.
The 2-1 win over Germany marked a jubilant end to a tournament that changed the course of women's football forever. And as popularity surges in England each year, more and more footballers and teams are achieving deserved stardom. In the Lioness pride, each member is loved and cherished in their own right. But of them all, perhaps nobody better parades both the close connection the team has with their fans off the pitch and the achievements they've experienced on it than Ella Toone.
A bright-eyed go-getter for England and Manchester United, Toone has made a name for herself as a talented footballer and down-to-earth role model. In this article, Football FanCast aims to detail everything you need to know about the midfielder in football and beyond.
Ella Toone's age
24 years old
Born on September 2nd 1999, in Tyldesley, Wigan, Ella Toone is currently 24 years old.
At both club and international level, she is one of the younger players to regularly feature in the starting lineup, despite the feeling that she has been around for a while.
The misconception comes from the simple fact that Toone broke into football from an early age, making an instant impact to quickly become an ever-present for Man United and England.
Ella Toone's height
5ft 4in
Ella Toone is 163 cm (5ft 4in), which makes her joint third-shortest player in the current England squad, ahead of only Jordan Nobbs (5ft 2in), and Katie Robinson and Georgia Stanway (both 5ft 3in).
Her low centre of gravity is a source of success for the midfielder, who is able to weave in and out of tight spaces to puncture holes in opposition defences before creating moments of brilliance for herself and her teammates.
Despite her height, Toone still shows exceptional strength on and off the ball. Her tenacity to make a difference in every game she plays means she's never afraid to mix it in midfield with those taller and ordinarily stronger than her.
Ella Toone's stats and club career
Manchester United through and through
As a girlhood Manchester United fan, Toone's start to life in football couldn't have been any better when she signed a youth contract with the Red Devils in 2007.
But with her favourite club lacking a senior team, after six years of working her way through grassroots level, she was forced to move elsewhere for first team football. In 2016, she joined rivals Manchester City but continued to play for Blackburn Rovers in the National League on dual registration terms, having signed for Rovers in 2013.
In July 2018, Toone rejoined Manchester United for their inaugural season in the FA Women's Championship for the 2018–19 campaign – one of seven players to return to the senior side having played for the club at youth level. The midfielder made a full circle in her early career as she was handed the opportunity to return to the club she loved when they saw the value of the women's game.
Toone has stayed with the Red Devils ever since, going on to score 35 goals in 105 league appearances across five years where United earned promotion to the Women's Super League in their maiden year before flaunting their swift rise to power by making it to last season's FA Cup final, which ended in a 1-0 defeat to serial winners Chelsea in front of 77,390 spectators at Wembley Stadium.
Women's Super League
85
21
24
Women's FA Cup
11
3
FA WSL Cup
23
8
2
At the start of the 2023/24 campaign, Man United missed out on Champions League qualification after falling to a dramatic defeat against Paris Saint-Germain. After six WSL games, they sit 3rd behind Arsenal, four points adrift of Chelsea, who occupy the summit and have won the league in each of the previous four seasons.
But despite stumbling into the final hurdle last season and struggling to keep up with the usual frontrunners this term, Toone's rise through football mirrors that of her club. From uncertainty of where both stood in football to ascending through the ranks to achieve fair representation, the two have become a match made in heaven.
Man United is also still a work in progress. As they continue to sit up and take notice of their women's team, there is no doubt that Toone and Co will reap the rewards in years to come.
Ella Toone's international career
When football finally came home
On international duty, Ella Toone has ditched near-misses of success at Man United and skipped the often-necessary formative stages of building toward glory in favour of immediate triumph.
Playing through the youth ranks of U17, U19, and U21, Toone got her senior call-up and made her international debut in September 2021. After scoring a hat-trick just a month later against Latvia during 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification, the bright-eyed midfield livewire needn't wait long before she helped her country achieve silverware.
In June 2022, Toone was included in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2022. She appeared in every match as a substitute, and scored twice.
Her first goal was an 84th-minute equaliser against Spain in the quarter-finals to send the game into extra-time, eventually winning 2–1. Her second goal was in the final to give England the lead against Germany in the 62nd minute. England won 2–1 in extra-time, winning the tournament and bringing football home after nearly five decades of the men trying and failing.
The two goals, particularly her audacious chip in the final, has given Toone the label of being England's sweetheart. In a team built on togetherness, resilience in the face of adversity, and the initiative to make football the beautiful game again, she was often the one to grab big moments by the scruff of the neck and score key goals at crucial times.
All in all, Toone has scored 17 goals from midfield in 42 England senior caps, adding the 2022 Arnold Clark Cup and inaugural Women's Finalissima to her international trophy haul since bringing it home at the European Championships.
2021
8
6
2022
19
9
2023
15
2
In the 2023 Women's World Cup, the Lionesses continued to prove they were England's best football team when they made it to the final for the first time since 1966. Ella Toone was again at the centre of attention when she scored a thunderous opener into the top-right corner against hosts Australia in the semi-finals.
However, Wiegman and her team's fairytale endured its first brooding twist in the final when Spain pipped the Lionesses to victory. Still, the words of praise that emanated after the final whistle in England depicted pride and gratitude towards the team. Every player in the squad are household names and dubbed heroes in their home nation.
Luckily, there was no time to dwell for Toone, who is continuing her international duties through the newly-created Women's Nations League, which acts as a qualification route for next summer's Olympics held in France.
Ella Toone's salary
£70,000 per year
Ella Toone's annual salary stands at £70,000, which makes her one of the highest earners in the Man United Women's side. However, a study for the 2021/22 season revealed that the women's mean hourly pay was 86.1 percent lower than the men's. According to Sports Brief.
But as popularity continues to rise in the women's game, this pay gap is slowly narrowing. With Toone still in the early years of her career, there is hope that she will earn more as she carries on putting in great performances for club and country.
Ella Toone's net worth
Between £1 million and £3 million
Ella Toone net worth is estimated to be somewhere between £1 million and £3 million. Exact figures for Toone’s net worth are hard to come by, which is partly due to the lack of availability of salaries in women’s football outside the highest paid players.
Toone notched over 150,000 new Instagram followers after her goal in the Euros final. Endorsement opportunities flooded in for England’s stars, with Toone promoting Nike on her Instagram account.
She has also worked with JD Sports, Tesco, McDonald’s, and penned a deal with WOW HYDRATE in 2021. All of these partnerships will have bolstered Toone’s net worth.
Ella Toone and Alessia Russo's friendship
Tooney and Lessi Russo…
Ella Toone and Alessia Russo have been friends since they were 12 years old, regularly attending the same football training camps before eventually becoming teammates at Manchester United.
Although Alessia moved to Arsenal in July, the pair have been reunited on the pitch as part of the 2023 World Cup squad.
Speaking about their friendship, Alessia said, '[We] both had the dream of one day playing for England, so then to do it and [win], it was special. I don't think many best friends can say that they've done that.'
The duo often embrace each other and share a bond that has been adored by their fans, who created a chant after them in the tune of Status Quo's 'Rockin' All over The World' during the Euros.
Ella Toone's TikTok & YouTube accounts
A personality fit for social media
Alongside her football career, Ella Toone's bubbly personality and much-loved humour has allowed her to connect with fans through social media.
When she's not making a name for herself by scoring from outside of the box, 'Tooney' is in front of a camera on TikTok or YouTube.
With over 500k followers on TikTok and nearly 60k YouTube subscribers, fans are given access to Ella Toone's life away from football.
Ella Toone's partner
Joe Bunney
Ella is currently dating Macclesfield forward Joe Bunney.
Whilst the pair are incredibly loved up, Joe is actually a massive Manchester City supporter, making things a bit awkward since his other half plays for Manchester United.
Speaking about her partner in an interview, Toone said, “Whenever I go to Joe’s games, the amount of lads who come over to me is mad and that is what really makes me smile.
“I stand there a lot of the time with my hood up, trying to watch, but they’ll say, ‘Are you Ella Toone of United? Can I have a picture?'"
In the same interview, Toone revealed she often goes to her partner for advice when she's struggling on the pitch, saying: “I always speak to my dad and then Joe. ‘How can I be better? What did I not do well?’ I know they will always be honest with me. When Dad or Joe say I have played well, I know I have."