Who is Karen Carney and what position will the England pundit and former Lioness play in Soccer Aid 2024?

FORMER Lioness Karen Carney is putting her football boots back on to take part in a huge charity match.

Find out more about her career ahead of her taking part in Soccer Aid 2024 alongside a host of former pro-footballers and celebs.

Karen Carney is a former England footballer – Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Who is Karen Carney?

Karen was born August 1st, 1987, to parents Michael and Marie in Solihull, England.

She is a sports journalist and former professional footballer.

As a child she was often out playing with her friends, leading to her interest in sports.

Karen can remember playing football at the age of six but it wasn’t until she was 11 that her Mum saw her play for the first time.

By the time she was 14, she was playing football full time.

At the age of 16, she decided to move in order to focus on football.

She was named in the 2017 New Year Honours List and received the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to football.

She was later inducted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame in 2021.

In the autumn of 2022, Karen was announced as the Chair of the Future of Women’s Football Review for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Her role includes looking into ways that the UK Government can nurture and expand the game.

When did Karen Carney retire from women’s football?

Karen is one of England‘s most capped players of all time and achieved success playing for three different clubs.

She retired in 2019 after England finished fourth during the Women’s World Cup.

Over her career, Karen has earned 144 caps for England and scored 32 times.

Karen Carney celebrates scoring the winning goal against Finland during the Women’s UEFA European Championship 2005 – Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images

She debuted at senior level when she was 14.

In 2005, she won the FA’s Young Player of the Year Award a year before she turned 18.

In 2005, she made her senior debut for England at 17 when they played against Italy.

Only four months later, she secured victory for England against Finland during the opening game for the European Championships.

In 2006, Karen was signed to Arsenal.

She enjoyed success at Arsenal but later transferred to the Chicago Red Stars before she returned to Birmingham City in 2011.

At Wembley that season, Carney put in a “woman of the match” performance against Chelsea that saw her score the winning spot-kick to secure Birmingham’s first FA Women’s Cup triumph.

She also represented Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Karen transferred to Chelsea in 2015 after topping the league’s scoring charts in 2014.

She also won more honours with Chelsea including a Spring Series, league title and FA Cup.

After retiring, Karen pursued a career in broadcasting.

She worked with the BBC and BT, covering all football for their platforms.