England forward Beth Mead’s role at Euro 2025 is very different to the one she enjoyed three years ago.
Named player of the tournament and winner of the Golden Boot, Mead played a starring role in England’s success at Euro 2022.
Her stunning performances were capped off with six goals and five assists – the most in the tournament.
It led to countless honours including being named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, as well as coming runner-up in the Ballon d’Or and Uefa Player of the Year Awards.
But so far in Switzerland, 30-year-old Mead has started just one of England’s four games, scoring once in the 6-1 Group D win over Wales.
She has adapted to a new role as one of Sarina Wiegman’s ‘finishers’ – a term the squad use to express the importance of the substitutes.
“You’ve got to be ready to go into the moment,” Arsenal forward Mead told BBC Sport.
“You’ve got to be ready to go into a position that you might not want to play or don’t normally play in and that was what was different for me [against Sweden].
“I ended up playing in midfield as a number six and then I was a number 10 – I changed position a few times in the game and I loved it.
“I love being on the pitch, I love being able to do what I can do for the team but they’re the things that you have to be able to do as a player.
“You have to expect the unexpected and be willing to do what you need to do for the team and the greater good.”
England’s substitutes have played a key role in Switzerland, scoring three goals en route to the semi-finals.
Since Euro 2022, England substitutes have scored four result-altering goals – all in knockout games – which is more than any other nation.
It is up to Mead, among others, to continue to provide Wiegman with squad depth.
“It’s not easy when you know you’re not starting and you’re playing well or whatever but I think that’s what has set us apart as a team,” she added.
“The togetherness, the willingness to try to make each other better, to try to make each other feel like we can figure it out.
“That’s something that I’ve also seen as a shift of my role. I really know how important that is – from being a starter to being competitive in training – to make us better. So far I think we’re doing a good job of that.”
