Mary Earps Returns to Women's Super League with London City Lionesses

Mary Earps has never done quiet entrances. She walks back into the Women’s Super League on Friday night, under the lights, potentially facing the club that turned her into a global star.

Manchester United. Old memories. New colours.

Now the goalkeeper of London City Lionesses, Earps looked at the fixture list and felt the symmetry immediately.

“It was meant to be,” she told BBC Sport, knowing her first competitive minutes for her new club could come against United in the season opener (19:00 BST).

From United icon to returning rival

For five seasons, United was her stage. She arrived, grew into England’s number one and twice collected Fifa’s goalkeeper of the year award. Across more than 100 appearances, she helped drag the club towards its first major trophy, the 2024 FA Cup, and became the face of their rise.

“I spent five wonderful years there and I made amazing memories,” she said. “I won an FA Cup and met a lot of incredible people. I know the fans don’t change – they are still as hardcore as ever.”

Those years at United overlapped with England’s golden surge. Earps stood firm through Euro 2022, where the Lionesses lifted the trophy, and then again during the run to the 2023 World Cup final. Her performances, personality and presence pushed her beyond football.

BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2023. One of the most recognisable athletes in the country. A mural of her painted outside Old Trafford. She became more than just a goalkeeper; she became a symbol.

Not all the attention was comfortable. Last November, the release of her book sparked controversy and dominated headlines. The noise around her swelled again.

Yet when she came back to Old Trafford with Paris St-Germain in the Women’s Champions League last season, the response from United supporters was warm, loud, appreciative.

“I got a nice reception at Old Trafford and it meant a great deal to me at that time,” she said. The mural is still there. So are the memories.

Parisian pause from the English glare

Her move to PSG had been about more than medals. She wanted Champions League football. She wanted to test herself. She also wanted distance.

Two seasons in Paris brought 22 league appearances and a different rhythm to her life.

“PSG is a great club,” Earps said. “Getting to experience the Parc des Princes, the French food, the Parisian way of life and the language – I think it was good for me.

“I’m an intense person, especially when I’m on the pitch, so it was good for me to be able to take a period of reflection away from the craziness in England.

“I’m grateful for all the amazing love and support that I’ve had over the years, but it was nice to be away. I went away to push myself out of my comfort zone.”

The experiment worked. She found space, perspective, and another elite environment. But when her contract expired, the pull of home grew stronger.

Drawn back by the WSL roar

She missed the noise. The edge. The very specific crackle of an English crowd when a big game kicks off.

“I’m very, very happy to be home,” she said. “I missed the English football culture – the way you feel when you walk into a stadium, the electricity of the crowd, the feeling around women’s football in this country.

“I knew I was probably going to miss that going away which is why I’m so excited to be back. Distance makes the heart grow fonder.”

London City, suddenly one of the most intriguing projects in the women’s game, moved. Earps signed a two-year deal and joined a squad that already includes two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas and Spain defender Mapi Leon.

The ambition is obvious. So is the competition.

Earps has started the club’s last two pre-season games, but she is not walking into a guaranteed role. Elene Lete impressed last season and has her own claim to the number-one shirt.

“The reality of it is that I’ve been here a few weeks and I’m trying to earn my place in the team every single day,” Earps said.

“Elene did a great job last year and it won’t be easy between us to see who starts. I think that is another great thing about being part of a fantastic squad.

“I just want to contribute to the team’s success and hopefully that is playing a lot of games and being a part of their history in some small way.”

New chapter, same edge

Earps has stepped away from the international scene, announcing her England retirement in 2025. That decision closed one door, but it sharpened her focus at club level.

She is 33 now, but talks like someone who still feels in mid-climb, not on the way down.

“I want to continue to play at the highest level, to win at the highest level for as long as possible and to be a part of something special,” she said.

“I really do believe that London City will go on to do great things for a long time. They want to be the best in class and world-leading.

“That is something that I’m always pushing to be – to be the best version of myself as a player and a person every day.

“It’s a great place to be for me to max out on whatever potential I have left. The moment that I don’t think I can learn any more, I won’t continue to play.

“I still feel like I’ve got a lot to give and hopefully there’s some fantastic days around the corner. I’m really looking forward to this chapter.”

The chapter might start, fittingly, against the club whose fans still sing her name and walk past her mural on the way into Old Trafford. On Friday night, though, they will see her in different colours, chasing new history, determined to prove that one of the defining goalkeepers of her generation still has more to write.