After so many headlines wondered aloud where Ellie Roebuck had gone – incredulous at times as sightings piled higher of the experienced
Manchester City goalkeeper sat unused in the stands – the 24-year-old would like everyone to know she’s feeling comfortable. The word’s use is important, not least because it arrives nanoseconds after Roebuck admits that her life has never been more unpredictable. We’re speaking less than a week after the Lioness announced via
Social Media that she suffered a left occipital infarct (a type of stroke in the brain). The revelation offered an explanation for the shot-stopper’s recent absence, yet simultaneously intimated that her absence will, at least for the short-term, continue. Today is also the day of the Lionesses' opening Euro 2025 qualifier against
Sweden, a match which Roebuck says she will be “tuning into”, albeit not from the vantage point of Sarina Wiegman 's dugout after losing her spot to City teammate Khiara Keating for both club and country. Emma Hayes messed up but can ensure her final
Chelsea season isn't defined by moment of madness Bethany
England on finding small happiness and her FA Cup fairy tale with Spurs In fact, Roebuck’s long-time contract with Manchester City expires in the summer. A surprise move to
Barcelona in January fizzled at the final second. She’s not played a competitive match for City since last May, when she was sent off for a challenge on
Manchester United ’s Nikita Parris. Eight years on from making her club debut and four seasons on from winning the Women’s Super League Golden Glove, what the future holds for a goalkeeper once tipped to be the next best thing is, technically, unknown. And Roebuck is comfortable with that. An almost tangible calmness exudes Roebuck as she speaks candidly about her career, her ongoing recovery, her ambition to return to the England set-up (“That’s the main thing for me”), her new partnership with smart money app Plum and their mission to make the
British population as literate in finances as they are about
Football regulation. The effect is zen, even over the hundreds of miles bridged by webcams. Every second of our interview is intentional in its use. This is partially the effect, Roebuck explains, of her recent stroke. England boss Sarina Wiegman with Ellie Roebuck during October's training session ( Image: Photo by Naomi Baker - The FA/The FA via Getty Images) “It’s changed my perception a lot,” Roebucks says. “It's given me time to value various different things. As a footballer, you live at a million miles per hour. You don't really have the time to think about these things.” One of those things is savings: How much Roebuck had and how long it would, feasibly, last her if worse came to worse. Roebuck never previously considered such notions. “Naive” is the word she uses, another seemingly paradoxical adjective given her double digit international caps, four Team GB appearances and FA Cup , European Championship and Finalissima titles. Yet, financial savings is hardly the usual subject line for a player still in her early twenties, not least a goalkeeper. Not until a player is staring into the sporting after-life or the spectre of a career prematurely ended do these thoughts generally emerge. Ellie Roebuck signed her first professional contract with Manchester City in 2018 ( Image: Getty Images) “As a footballer, your career is so short-lived,” says Roebuck, who is hoping more people will use the Plum app to manage their finances. “Obviously the women’s game has grown. From where I started to where it is now, it's incredible in all terms, not just financially. Hopefully I'm fortunate enough to play into my thirties and really enjoy the majority of time playing football. “But realistically, life is so unpredictable. And that’s not just because of what's happened to me recently. General life is unpredictable. You never know. Maybe you pick up a bad injury. But it made me realise a bit more that I have to be a hell of a lot more switched on than probably I was.” The sporting world is littered with cautionary tales of stars led down devastating fiscal paths, from bankruptcy to fraud. Roebuck was just 15 years old when she moved from Sheffield United's centre of excellence to Manchester City. Upon receiving her first payslip at 18, she waltzed into Alexander McQueen and bought the pair of trainers everyone else in the City training room had. Somewhere in the background, a looming list of adult responsibilities: housing, bills, council tax, nest eggs, rainy day funds – regular money machinations which “we don’t learn in school. And as a kid that just wants to play football, you don't really have to or want to think about it.” Mary Earps, Ellie Roebuck and Hannah Hampton were the goalkeepers brought to the Women's
World Cup last summer ( Image: Naomi Baker) Football is far from the only avenue of life in which youthful innocence meets money with varying consequences. But football remains one of the most jarring in its collision course. Roebuck wants to strip away the taboo of confronting it early. “Money was something I struggled with and to understand,” says Roebuck, who shares her gratitude for her parents’ help in earlier days. “It was scary. You never want to get caught out [but] in the madness of day-to-day life, it’s not really something you necessarily have time to understand or learn. “At the minute, I've gone through some things that have made it a bit more realistic to look after my money. But you have to plan for future life no matter what. With this app, it's a lot more simple and stress free.” The conceit for Plum and Roebuck’s partnership is that, in an age where football and personal finance rules have never been more technically complex, more people in the
UK understand the intricacies of the offside rule (51%) than they do ISAs (48%). Roebuck isn’t coy in delineating which one of these is more critical to the regular function of civil life. Ellie Roebuck last played for Manchester City last May against Manchester United Even so, football’s cultural currency – particularly women’s football – has arguably never been greater. And Roebuck is determined to remain part of it. Right now, her path back to the pitch is guided by medical professionals. “I’m in great hands,” she confirms. “I’m feeling better every day and rolling with it. And that’s super important for me. I'm focused on looking after myself, looking after my body and listening to it a bit more than I used to. I used to be 100 miles an hour for everything. “But I'm super excited to get back on the grass, get back to playing. I’m excited for what lies ahead.” On that, Roebuck remains aloof. The time away from the pitch has made her reflective. Judging herself on aggregated silverware and individual laurels isn’t the path for her. “I’ve always been on to the next, on to the next. I want to take more comfort and time to enjoy the moments.” But she has goals. She wants consistent game time at club level and she has every intention of getting that this year. Her City contract expires in the summer, an occurrence she brings up herself, though she refrains from speaking about the potential of a new deal. Yet, she’s explicit in her determination to make a big return to England, a possibility which wholly rests on her returning to the starting XI at whatever club procures her services in the summer. “That's a huge target,” Roebuck says of England. “Not just because of the status of being in the England squad, but it's something that I love. I love being with the girls. I love that team environment and the way that we've hopefully changed the perception of women's football. I would love to continue to be a part of that and help grow the women's game.” Join our new
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