The Chelsea star won the Treble on the domestic front and was also instrumental in England’s victory at Women’s Euro 2025.

But after sustaining an injury during our 2-2 draw with West Ham at Kingsmeadow on 30 March, James did not play another match for Chelsea before the end of the campaign but kept battling to regain her fitness ahead of the summer’s European Championship.

The dynamic forward did not return until the final warm-up friendly against Jamaica on June 29. England head coach Sarina Wiegman introduced James as a 63rd-minute substitute in what was her first appearance on a football pitch since the aforementioned West Ham stalemate three months earlier.

James needed very little warm-up to kick off her tournament, though; she scored a brilliant brace in the crucial second group stage game against the Netherlands. The Blues forward started every match, including the final against Spain, but had to be replaced by Chloe Kelly in the 41st minute after an injury stopped her in her tracks.

She did not return to action until November and as we reflected on the year as a whole, it’s clear that it has been a complex journey for LJ.

‘I’ve won some great trophies in 2025,’ she smiles. ‘But on a personal level, I'd say it was up and down, as I've had quite a few injuries.

‘Up until the Euro final, I’d played in every game and scored a few goals, but then I picked up the injury.

‘The final was difficult for me. I think even leading up to it, I went through loads of different emotions… thinking, ‘can I play, should I play?’ I thought I could, and then it was too painful, so I had to come off.

‘It’s always frustrating because those are the moments you play for, and you want to help your team. But luckily, we won, and that helped.’

Another positive moment for James during 2025 was the huge 3-0 Champions League comeback win over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in March.

That night, Chelsea went on the attack from the first minute as we overcame a 2-0 deficit, and LJ provided a sublime assist for Mayra Ramirez just before half-time.

Now back fit again, she hopes the new year will bring better luck.

‘The standout moments have been winning the Euros, and the comeback against Man City,’ she explained. ‘I'm just hoping that 2026 goes a lot better for me personally than 2025 did, and that we get more trophies again.

‘I think as a team we obviously want to win the Champions League. We want to win as many trophies as we can. Personally, I’d just like to stay healthy and help the team where I can.’

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