Anita Asante

With 71 international football caps under her belt, in a career spanning 19 years, Anita was a formidable England defender who won league titles in England, the USA and Sweden. She made her international debut against Iceland in 2004, and went on to play in five major tournaments, as well as the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Starting her football career at Arsenal, Anita was part of the women’s team who won the historic quadruple in 2007 including the Champions league, a feat no English team, men or women, has been able to repeat since. 

After a stint playing in USA and Sweden, Anita returned back to England in 2018, playing for Chelsea and Aston Villa, eventually retiring in 2022 with an honours list of a UEFA Women's Cup, five league titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups. It was no surprise when she was then inducted into the WSL Hall of Fame in 2023.

Since then, she has become a leading pundit with the BBC, Sky Sports and ITV. She also uses her voice to promote diversity in sport as an Ambassador for Show Racism the Red Card and Amnesty International. Alongside her role as coach for the U23 Lioness team, she works with The FA and The National Lottery amongst several others to encourage young girls to get involved in football starting at grassroots level.

This year Anita also announced her role on the Player Advisory Council for the new Global 7V7 Women's Football Series.

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