Lauren James given Ballon d'Or tag after impressive comeback in England's thumping win over Jamaica in final game before Euro 2025
Updated 29/06/2025 at 23:33 GMT+1
England thrashed Jamaica 7-0 in the final game before their European title defence and were boosted by the return of Lauren James, who proved her "Ballon d'Or" quality. The Chelsea forward had been sidelined since April with a hamstring injury but returned to action in Sunday's match at the King Power Stadium and provided a sumptuous assist for Alessia Russo just eight minutes after coming on.
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Lauren James proved her "Ballon d’Or" quality as she returned from injury in England’s 7-0 win over Jamaica, according to former Lioness Karen Carney.
The Chelsea forward came off the bench in the Euro 2025 warm-up game at the King Power Stadium for her first minutes since April after recovering from a hamstring injury.
It did not take long for the 23-year-old to show her worth, turning smartly inside the area before dinking a pinpoint cross to the back post for Alessia Russo to head home from close range for England’s fifth goal of the afternoon.
Discussing James at full time, Carney told ITV: "She can do things I've never seen any player since Kelly Smith do. She's Ballon d'Or."
James’ return from injury certainly provides a selection headache for manager Sarina Wiegman, with England's European title defence getting underway next Saturday.
There were six different goalscorers for the hosts, with Ella Toone, who started the match in the No. 10 role, scoring a first-half brace as England took a 3-0 lead into the interval.
Discussing the attacking options she has at her disposal, Wiegman told ITV: "We have many players that can play in the 10. Jess Park, Grace Clinton, Ella Toone, Lauren James.
"She [James] can play up front but can also play in the 10 like we saw today."
Wiegman added: "I've been involved in many tournaments now. Things develop in the tournament. You have to be prepared. You have to adapt to what you have in front of you and see what happens, and make big decisions.
"I think there is huge potential in this squad, and we have many options."
Manchester City’s Toone opened the scoring for England with a deflected strike after just 10 minutes, bagging her first goal for the national team since February 2024.
The home side’s lead was doubled as Lucy Bronze headed home before Toone scored her second goal of the game just before the interval.
Georgia Stanway powered home a fourth for Wiegman’s side just before the hour mark, and the England boss was then able to showcase her strength in depth.
James was part of a triple-change, and it took her just eight minutes to set up Russo for England’s fifth, showing why she starred in the early stages of England’s run to the World Cup final in 2023.
James’ fellow substitute and Chelsea team-mate Aggie Beaver-Jones made it six before Beth Mead completed the seven-goal rout with a deflected strike deep into stoppage time.
Following a pair of Nations League fixtures at the start of the month, Sunday’s clash was England’s only friendly warm-up game before beginning their title defence against France.
But Wiegman was satisfied with what she saw against Jamaica, and is "excited" about what her squad can achieve in Switzerland.
Speaking at full-time, the 55-year-old said: "It was a good performance. We expected we would be in the final third a lot, so we wanted to show what we could do here. To score seven goals is nice.
"We have so many options. The team is so strong."
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Wiegman added: "I am most of all excited about the team. We've had two weeks of training, and it was really good.
"You can feel the fight, and we want to go to the Euros and play. We all know what we want and what our opponents want. We are getting ready for France. I hope everything goes well."
'This is a new England'
Despite facing stiff competition in her position, Toone believes it is "healthy competition" and will be to the benefit of the squad.
After scoring her 20th and 21st goals for England, the City player said: "It's been a long time coming, I've waited a while for another goal in an England shirt.
"There's competition all over the squad, that's what makes it so exciting. No matter what role I have in the tournament, I'll make sure I'll do my best for the team. We'll all be pushing each other, and it's healthy competition.
"We've got a talented squad and we'll step out and give the nation our all."
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After triumphing at the European Championships in 2022, England were beaten in the World Cup final a year later by Spain, but Stanway believes it is a "new England" this time around.
Speaking at full-time, the Bayern Munich midfielder said: "We've worked hard in training. We had way more chances than seven so it's about making them count. Today was a good day to play the way we played and get some good patterns.
"It's completely different to any tournament we've been to before. This is a new England."
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