As a diehard Liverpool fan, there was only going to be one player that Chelsea defender Niamh Charles idolised growing up.
And like her childhood hero, the 23-year-old is targeting a Champions League win to cement her place among the top stars in he WSL.
“The one I would go to is Steven Gerrard because I’m a massive Liverpool fan having grown up there,” she explained to talkSPORT.
“The time where I was really getting hooked by football was the time where he was just colossal for Liverpool and he was driving the team forward and he really was the main person. He’s just a massive inspiration to me.
“When I was younger, my grandma’s next door neighbour was actually best friends with him. I never met him there, but I got his boots and that was as close as I thought I was going to get.
“But when we were away with England once, I met him and that was just a moment for my younger self. He didn’t know this, of course, but I was like: ‘Wow, I’ve finally met him.’”
Versatile defender Charles plays with that same fearlessness and desire as her idol Gerrard which has endeared her to Chelsea boss Emma Hayes, who has turned the 23-year-old from a midfielder into a right-back since her move to London three years ago.
Hayes is one of the leading coaches in the women’s game having established Chelsea as the dominant force in the Women’s Super League and Charles says her man management and tactical knowledge sets her apart from the rest.
“Ever since I’ve come in, she [Hayes] has been really good with me [in terms of] just knowing when to let me be and knowing when to just put an arm around my shoulder or just knowing when to give me some more time,” she says.
“The way she’s able to be flexible with the tactics on the pitch, that’s something which is a strength of ours and being able to adapt game to game and have that flexibility and unpredictability. I think that’s a credit to her football knowledge.
“The way she recruits players as well and integrates them into the team and thinks ahead [is a strength of hers]. That’s not just her, that’s the whole of the backroom staff and hierarchy at Chelsea. It’s not just happened overnight; that’s something they’ve been building for years and years and we’re seeing the fruition of it.”
While it has been a disappointing campaign for Chelsea’s men’s team, for the women’s team it has been another successful season under the watchful eye of Hayes, with the Blues reaching the FA Cup final with victory over Aston Villa last weekend.
On top of that, Chelsea are firmly in contention for another WSL title – sitting just four points behind leaders Manchester United with two games in hand – and could win a treble this season, with the Blues in Champions League semi-final action against Barcelona this Saturday, a match you can hear live on talkSPORT2.
On paper, it looks a daunting tie for Chelsea, with Barcelona widely regarded as one of the best teams in the world with the likes of Lionesses duo Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh among their ranks.
Chelsea were beaten 4-0 in the Champions League final by Barcelona two years ago, but a European trophy is one they crave and Charles said her teammates are determined to get revenge and win the treble this season.
“I think that [winning the treble] is what we set out to do from the start of the season,” she says.
“We’re definitely happy with where we are, but we also know that nothing’s won right now and nothing’s given, so we need to work just as hard as we have done.
“The mood’s been really good. We’re all excited. It’s where we want to be as a club. These are the big games we want to be involved in.
“The girls are really looking forward to it, but we absolutely know Barca are a great team. We’ll be definitely giving them the respect for their strengths but focusing on what we can do as well.”
Charles’ performances for Chelsea have allowed her to force her way into Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses squad and the 23-year-old has six caps for her country.
The 23-year-old just missed out on a place in the Lionesses squad for last summer’s European Championships but is determined to be on the plane to the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand later this year.
“I mean I’d love to,” she finished.
“It’s such an exciting time for football in this country, but also women’s football across the world. There’s no greater tournament to play in than that.
“So, of course, that would be a dream, but that’s not something I can really control. So, I’m just focusing more on the games and the opportunities I get here and when it comes to the summer, who knows. That will take care of itself.”
