Who is the Lionesses’ ‘cheat code’? England striker Lauren James, hailed by her teammates as a secret weapon, is being cheered on by her ‘proud’ big brother, Chelsea player Reece James – and was left starstruck by David Beckham’s compliment

• The striker, 21, from Mortlake, has been England’s stand-out star this tournament
• READ MORE:  How the Lionesses are (finally) making lots of lolly as they take to the global stage to compete for the World Cup

Lauren James has stunned England fans with sensational performances in this year’s Women’s World Cup, and secured the Lionesses’ place in the final 16 as winners of their group by scoring two goals in yesterday’s fixture against China, and assisting three more to beat the side 6-1.

Although she is now the name on everyone’s lips as England prepares to take on Nigeria next Monday, the 21-year-old Chelsea player has until now been one of the lesser-known Lionesses as she remained on the bench at the Euro 2022 tournament.

The previous Women’s World Cup in 2023 also came too soon for Lauren, who said she had enjoyed observing the Lionesses and desperately wanted to be called up for the next tournament.

As her dreams come true and she shines on the world stage at her first World Cup, the striker has stepped into the limelight – and out of the shadow of her famous footballing older brother, Reece James, who also plays for Chelsea.

Lauren is no stranger to breaking down barriers, having watched Reece and her other brother Josh playing for Chelsea and Fulham’s academies when she was a child before joining Chelsea’s U10 team at the age of six and later being scouted by Arsenal when she was 13 – where she trained with the boys.

England’s star striker Lauren James, who revealed before the 2023 World Cup that she wanted to carve out a name for herself, has secured the Lionesses’ place in the final 16

Growing up in Mortlake, south west London, Lauren was part of a football-mad family in which her brothers also played and all three siblings were trained by their father Nigel, who is a UEFA-qualified coach. 

She has previously credited his coaching as the reason for her rise to the top, and has indicated that she wants to become a coach when she retires so she can influence younger players in the same way.

Guided by Nigel throughout her earliest years playing football, she joined the team he ran and played with the boys for years.

Speaking to the Independent in 2019, Lauren revealed it was several years before she actually joined a girls’ side – but she certainly proved herself against the boys.

Lauren has wowed football fans in her first World Cup with two sensational goals against China (pictured celebrating) and another impressive strike against Denmark

Lauren, whose brother Reece also plays for Chelsea, grew up playing alongside boys including Reece (pictured together) and her other brother, Joshua

Lauren comes from a football-mad family with her father Nigel (centre) coaching her and her brothers as children

‘It was harder playing against boys,’ she said. At first, they would look at you like ‘why is there a girl training with us’? But after a couple of weeks, they realised what I could do.’

When she was just 16 years old, Lauren upped sticks from London and moved to Wigan where she played for Manchester United.

Despite being young and without the guidance of her father for the first time in her playing career, Lauren felt at ease during her time at the club because her brother Reece was living in the same city, playing for Wigan Athletic.

However, she has admitted it was challenging living alone at such a young age – particularly when it came to cooking, which she jokes is not her strong point.

In July 2021, Lauren moved back to her home city of London to join Chelsea FC under the direction of renowned manager Emma Hayes. Since then, she has been credited with bringing the best out of the young striker, and just last month Lauren thanked her manager for helping her get ‘back to being myself again’, the Independent reported.

After being plagued by injuries for nearly two years, Lauren regained her form to make her debut for the Lionesses last September against Austria, and was named young player of the year at the Women’s Football Awards in May.

As she approached this summer’s tournament, Lauren expressed her desire to be considered a player in her own right, rather than a Lioness who was only associated with her brother.

She told the Evening Standard that rather being known as ‘Lauren James, Reece’s sister’ she wanted people to recognise her as ‘this is Lauren James’.

And after scoring a goal against Denmark and two sensational strikes against China to secure England’s place in the knockout stage of the World Cup 2023, Lauren has certainly ensured football fans will no longer associate her with her brother.

Stepping up in the absence of England star striker Beth Mead, who is currently injured and out of the tournament, Lauren has been described as a ‘cheat code’ by her teammate and Lioness captain Leah Williamson.

And she has even captured the attention of Golden Balls himself, David Beckham, who praised her strike against Denmark on Instagram.

The former England captain, 48, who scored 17 goals during 115 appearances for his country, wrote: ‘Great goal Lauren.’

Appearing starstruck by the nod, Lauren admitted it made her wonder: ‘Am I reading that right?’

Although she has successfully carved out a successful career and will now be recognised in her own right despite her brother’s success, Lauren still cherishes Reece’s advice and the pair remain close.

Before the tournament began, she revealed the key message Reece, who has 16 caps for England, had shared with her: ‘Enjoy it, have fun and score goals.’

And it’s clear Reece is his sister’s biggest fan, singing her praises on social media as she wows on the world stage.

After her goal against Denmark, Reece shared on his Twitter page a photo of himself and Lauren playing football together as young children, in a white and red strip. He wrote the simple but poignant caption ‘proud’ alongside the throwback snap.

Last year, Lauren posted a sweet photo of herself and Reece on a family day out when they were children to celebrated Reece’s birthday.

Responding to the post, he commented: ‘Me with a goat’ – in a nod to the acronym meaning she is the ‘greatest of all time’.

Lauren’s talent has also captured the attention of Reece’s teammates, with former Chelsea player Michy Batshuayi commenting on her impressive performances.

Writing a tweet to Reece following the Lionesses’ win over Denmark, Batshuayi said: ‘Damn Lauren’s got a better finish than me bro. Honestly I’ve seen 2 games only but she’s very very good.’

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