From motivating people who reside in her hometown of Rochdale in the North West of England to encouraging young girls to believe in themselves, it’s clear she is focused on how the honour might uplift others.

That’s not to say she’s not proud of her achievements, but it’s a typically unselfish stance from a player who has achieved so much for club and country.

‘I think my mum thought I was joking when I first told her!’ she laughs. ‘It means a lot considering where I'm from. It's not common to get an MBE in Rochdale, and to be able to take that back home and for the whole community to know it's something which is possible to achieve, that’s so special.

‘I was really surprised, I wasn't expecting it. I got an email from the Prime Minister saying that I'd been put forward for the New Year's honours list, and just saying thank you for my services to women's football. To have that recognition was really nice, and it was a total shock to be honest.

‘It's probably bigger than football. It’s such a special thing, and I just knew straight away that my grandma would be so happy about it. She got a little bit emotional, and she cried. It means so much, especially to the older generation.

‘As I said, I wasn't expecting it. I don't play football for those reasons, but to get that recognition from your country as a whole is amazing and difficult to put into words.’

Immediately after winning the Women’s European Championship on home soil, the 23-player England squad all signed an open letter to the Prime Minister campaigning for at least two hours of PE for all girls, the chance to play football at school and spearheading a drive for more women PE teachers.

The government answered that rallying cry, as they agreed to the suggestions put forward, and changes were backed by a multi-million-pound investment in school sport.

‘Being a Lioness means creating change on and off the pitch,’ Walsh explained. ‘As much as we want to win – and obviously we managed to do that with two Euros – it’s as much about social change. That means encouraging young girls to be confident in themselves. I think that's what sport did for me, it gave me confidence.

‘Maybe just being a part of that bigger group allows me to have a voice and to have an impact, and that's something that we're all really proud and really passionate about doing.

‘There are quite a few Lionesses who have the MBE now, and it shows that we do stand for social change, and we're more than happy to use our platforms to do that. A lot of us feel it's almost bigger than us. Being a woman in general, it's bigger than just playing football and winning, and that's something that we speak about before every tournament. It's important for young girls to see the list with the Lionesses on it.

‘For me, it’s about getting the young girls playing and having confidence is great. Obviously, there still needs to be more barriers broken down.’

While significant progress has been made, Walsh would like to help bring about more societal change in terms of how successful women athletes are viewed. There is clearly still more to be done in that regard.

‘What I find difficult personally, and would like to see change, is when a woman reaches the top, and she's winning trophies, she's well recognised, I still feel like there is a premise to tear her down,’ said Walsh

‘I think we need to celebrate each other a little bit more, celebrate our achievements. It's about making being a successful woman more normal and more seen. To let girls know it’s not just about enjoyment, but pushing it further, and if they want to be professional, there's no harm in that either.'

Walsh may have already achieved so much in the game, but she still has big aims on the pitch both for Chelsea and England.

‘Winning the Women's Champions League with Chelsea is a big ambition I have left. That’s why I joined the club.

'Winning the Women's World Cup with England would be a dream come true, and we were so close last time. Obviously, it's going be difficult, but we would love to be able to do that with the Lionesses.’