However, the 24-year-old stopper tends to shy away from the praise that has inevitably followed her achievements. And when Hampton received the first-ever women's Yashin Trophy on Monday, she focused the spotlight on others she felt deserved to be recognised alongside her.

They were highlighted not only in her acceptance speech in Paris at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, but also when we sat down to chat with her exclusively once she had returned to Cobham.

‘For women's goalkeepers to be included is a massive step,’ Hampton says. ‘Because it recognises the success that many goalkeepers have achieved in the game now and have also achieved in the past. They probably didn't get the recognition that they deserved.

‘There are multiple keepers who have come before me that should have been given the award. The fact that it's been introduced in 2025...it’s been a long time coming.

‘From the likes of Nadine Angerer and Sarah Bouhaddi to Christiane Endler, who could have had it for a couple of years. There's also Hope Solo and Mary Earps, who should have had it for years. Many legends of the game should have had it and didn't get the opportunity – but it's they who put the women’s goalkeeping on the map.

'We've had a lot of scrutiny in the past, so it's about time we start championing everything that we do.’

Hampton’s speech has been widely applauded, and it can’t have been easy to stand on one of football’s biggest stages and choose to stand up for those who previously had no voice.

And the Blues goalkeeper revealed how she conquered her nerves to deliver her impressive address.

‘It was incredible to be invited to go,' Hampton explained. ‘Not many people can say they’ve done that. It was incredible to be in a room with so many legends of the game. Heroes of the present, and obviously, all the coaches and the staff, who put in a lot of work for us to be seen.

‘It was hard. I got up there and I looked around and saw people standing two, three, four stories high all around. I ended up having to look at the Chelsea girls and Sonia to say what I wanted to say.’

The end of the speech was the most impressive – and indeed difficult – to deliver. Just 48 hours earlier, the women’s game lost one of its most important and well-loved figures in Matt Beard.

Tributes have poured in from all corners of the football world, and Hampton was one of those grieving the loss. Yet she put her grief aside to speak about mental health, a subject she clearly holds close to her heart.

‘I think there's a big taboo subject around mental health,’ she says. ‘It needs to be spoken about more. You see people who you would never in your wildest dreams think are struggling. Just saying, ‘Are you okay?’ to someone can really go a long way. It could be really needed in such a time of darkness for them.

‘I think we just need to be there for one another. It's such a sad thing that's happened, especially for his family and to Matt, who was honestly there for everyone.

‘I remember all the conversations I had with him, and he always cared so much about the women's game. He cared so much about me and wanted to get to know me as a person, and he's going to be greatly missed, that's for sure.'