There are plenty of reasons why Leah Williamson is 鈥榟ungry鈥 for success when the women鈥檚 Euros begin in Switzerland. Among them is the fact the Lionesses captain was forced to miss World Cup 2023 with a knee ligament injury . But top of the list is that the 28-year-old defender wants another taste of the unexpected glory she enjoyed with her club at the end of last season. Williamson was magnificent in Arsenal’s Champions League final victory over Barcelona last month and that win has made her even more motivated going into the Euros. 鈥淥ne of the greatest things about being an athlete is when you think you鈥檙e done, you always have that extra part of yourself that you can tap into,鈥 Williamson says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the same with winning. When you鈥檙e winning, you want to bathe in that euphoria, but there鈥檚 always something else coming. 鈥淭he best feeling in the world is being hungry for it and wanting to go again. Being reminded of winning the Champions League and what that felt like makes me feel like I can鈥檛 wait for the next challenge. 鈥淚 kind of forget that we won the Champions League. It鈥檚 in my head and I鈥檒l tap into that if needed.鈥 The Champions League success was a special landmark in Williamson鈥檚 career, having suffered a cruciate ligament rupture towards the end of the 2022-23 season that kept her out of the World Cup that year. And that cruel setback means Williamson will savour the upcoming Swiss adventure just that little bit more. She explains: 鈥淧ersonally it’s been a rocky period of time with the highest of the highs and lowest of the lows so I try to put that aside. I feel my age, if that makes any sense. I’ve definitely aged in the last couple of years, for good and bad reasons. 鈥淚 missed the last time (World Cup) and I’m very, very grateful to be here again.鈥 Williamson, of course, led England to glory on home soil in Euro 2022 and admits the added expectation created by that triumph means there is a slightly different feeling around the England camp ahead of their tournament opener against France next Saturday. She says: 鈥淵es, it does feel slightly different. That was such a freeing environment in 2022. Sarina (Wiegman) had been in for a year, everything was really fresh and new, whereas this is a bit more about you needing to be able to discuss a bit and plan and pre-thought. 鈥淏ut I see a group that’s focused and wants to be better all the time. Everyone wants to work hard. Everyone has a good attitude towards the job. 鈥淧laying for England in a tournament, there’s nothing that compares. I鈥檓 very excited.鈥 England鈥檚 build-up to Euro 2025 has not been as smooth as Wiegman might have hoped, with goalkeeper Mary Earps announcing a shock retirement from international football and Chelsea defender Millie Bright pulling out of the tournament saying she was 鈥渘ot able to give 100 percent mentally or physically.鈥 Fran Kirby, who scored twice in England鈥檚 successful Euro 2022 campaign, also announced she would no longer be available for selection. Williamson admits they will be missed but it says it is a setback the Lionesses can overcome. She says: 鈥淚t鈥檚 tough going out there without the experience they offer but I respect all of them for the decisions they have made and we are a team on a mission. 鈥淲e will miss them but we are well-placed to fill that gap 鈥 in a different way. No-one will ever be able to do it like those three did it but we will figure it out.鈥 Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.