.jpg) Daly with England in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Rachel Ann Daly[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1991-12-06)6 December 1991 (age 33) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Harrogate, England[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.67 m)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker,Left wing-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Aston Villa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leeds United | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | St. John's Red Storm | 60 | (50) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Leeds United | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Lincoln Ladies | 24 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Los Angeles Strikers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | LA Blues | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | SoCal FC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2022 | Houston Dash | 101 | (37) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | →West Ham United (loan) | 9 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Aston Villa | 64 | (38) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | England U17 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | England U23 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2024 | England | 84 | (16) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Great Britain | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:05, 13 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:15, 9 April 2024 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rachel Ann Daly (born 6 December 1991) is an English professionalfootballer who plays predominantly as astriker forAston Villa in theFA Women's Super League. Having spent most of her career withHouston Dash in theNWSL, she spent her youth career atLeeds United, for which she also made her senior debut. She representedEngland andGreat Britain.
A versatile player, since 2019 Daly has played in defence, midfield, and attack. With Leeds United she won thePremier League Cup in 2010; with Houston Dash she won theNWSL Challenge Cup in 2020, as well as theGolden Boot and MVP awards for the competition. In her first season with Aston Villa, Daly became theWSL Golden Boot winner,PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year,Player of the Season, was featured in theTeam of the Year, and twice won thePlayer of the Month award for the2022–23 season. She holds the joint record formost goals in a WSL season, with 22 goals.
Playing at all youth levels for England, Daly scored her first senior international goal on her debut in June 2016. With England, she made 84 appearances, winning theEuro 2022 and the2023 Women's Finalissima, and taking silver at the2023 World Cup.
Despite playing just three years for theSt. John's UniversityRed Storm from 2012 to 2015,[3] Daly set the school's career records for both goals (50) and points (111). As a freshman, she did not see game action due toNCAA compliance regulations. During her second year, she played and started in all 21 games and set St. John's single-season records in goals (23) and points (50), becoming the program's first-ever player to be named aNSCAA All-American, after earning Second Team honours.
As a junior, she was the team's leading player in points with 18, including eight goals and two assists. As a senior, she appeared in 20 games, making 19 starts, and finished as the leading scorer on the team with 19 goals and five assists for a total of 18 points. She became the first player in program history to be selected to theNSCAA All-America First Team and the first to be named a semifinalist for theHermann Trophy.[4]
Coming from the youth department of Leeds United LFC, Daly initially played in theEnglish League forLeeds United andLincoln Ladies at a young age. She played for theW-League franchisesLos Angeles Strikers andLos Angeles Blues in 2013 and 2014. With the latter she won the W-League championship with a clear 6–1 in the final over theWashington Spirit reserve team.[5] After another season with WPSL participant SoCal FC, Daly took part in the college draft for the 2016 season of the NWSL after graduating.
Daly was selected by NWSL clubHouston Dash as the sixth overall pick of the2016 NWSL College Draft.[6] The NWSL Media Association voted Daly Player of the Week for the first week of the season after she contributed a goal and an assist in the Dash's 3–1 win against the Chicago Red Stars.[7] She appeared in 16 games in the 2016 season, tallying four goals and four assists.[8] She was one of three finalists forNWSL Rookie of the Year.[9]
Daly returned to the Dash for the 2017 season, appearing in 23 games and scoring five goals.[10] On 20 November 2017, the Houston Dash announced that Daly had signed a new contract with the club.[11]
In the 2018 season, Daly was named Player of the Week for week nine, as well as Player of the Month for the month of May. Daly started all 24 games for the Dash and scored a career high 10 goals.[12] She was voted team MVP and named to the NWSL Second XI for the 2018 season.[13][14][15]
Daly was named captain of the Dash ahead of the2020 NWSL Challenge Cup. The Dash won the Cup, their first trophy, after a 2–0 win over theChicago Red Stars in the final. Daly won the tournament Golden Boot and on 25 July 2020 was named tournament MVP.[16]
On 3 September 2020, Daly joinedWest Ham United on a loan that expired 11 January 2021.[17][18]
On 9 August 2022, it was announced that Daly had signed a three-year deal withAston Villa.[19][20] She made her competitive debut for the club on 18 September that year, scoring 2 goals in a 4–3 win overManchester City.[21] She scored her firsthat-trick for the club in a 3–1 win overReading atVilla Park two months later.[22] She again scored a hat-trick in the reverse fixture against Reading in a 5–0 win at theMadejski Stadium.[23] Daly scored 22 goals in the 2022–23 WSL season, winning the Golden Boot and equallingVivianne Miedema's record for the most goals scored in a single season.[24] She was awarded Player of the Season.[25]
In theFA Cup she scored 6 goals in 4 games, including 4 in an 11–0 win versusAFC Fylde, finishing as the joint second top scorer alongsideSam Kerr and one goal behind top scorerBunny Shaw.[26][27]
On 24 August 2023, it was announced that Daly would change shirt number from 8 to 9.[28]
On 31 May 2025, it was announced that Daly had signed a new contract, extending her time with the club to June 2027.[29]
Daly has represented England at the U-15,U-17,U-19, andU-23 levels.[30] She was a member of England'sU-17 World Cup team that finished fourth in New Zealand in 2008.[31]
WhenMark Sampson replacedHope Powell as Englandcoach, he named Daly in his first squad in December 2013.[32] She won her first seniorcap in June 2016, scoring in England's 7–0Euro 2017 qualifying win overSerbia. Daly was left off Sampson's squad for theEuro 2017.[33]
After not being called up for nearly a year, Daly was included in England's squad for the2018 SheBelieves Cup by new head coachPhil Neville.[34] Daly featured in four of England'sWorld Cup qualifying games in 2018, as England won their group and qualified for the2019 World Cup.[35] She won the2019 SheBelieves Cup with England, where she appeared in two games and played all 90 minutes in a 2–2 draw against theUnited States.[36]
In July 2022 Daly was included, and started every game at left back, with the England squad which won theEuro 2022.[37][38] In November 2022, she started her first international match as a forward during a series of friendlies in which managerSarina Wiegman was trying out options to replace the perennial but recently-retired number 9Ellen White, with Daly saying "she will play wherever Wiegman needs her".[39]
On 19 February 2023, Daly was once again played as a centre-forward in anArnold Clark Cup match againstItaly: in the occasion, she scored a brace that helped England gain a 2–1 win.[40][41] On 31 May 2023, Daly was named to the squad for the2023 World Cup in July 2023 and[42] scored the final goal in England's 6–1 defeat ofChina.[43]
On 10 April 2024, the morning after appearing in England's 2–0Euro 2025 qualifying win overRepublic of Ireland, Daly announced her retirement from international football on herInstagram account. Daly made 84 appearances for England, scoring 16 times while playing in a variety of positions in attack and defence.[44][45]
In May 2021, Daly was named to theTeam GB squad as one of six defenders in the squad.[46] She appeared in all four games for Team GB, starting in three of the games.
She has previously dated Dash teammateKristie Mewis[47] and Manchester United WSL playerMillie Turner.[48] On 29 November 2024, she announced her engagement toAston Villa teammateSarah Mayling.[49]
As part of the "Where Greatness Is Made" campaign, a plaque honouring Daly was installed at the Killinghall Nomads ground inKillinghall, Harrogate.[50]
| College team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's Red Storm | 2013 | 21 | 23 |
| 2014 | 19 | 8 | |
| 2015 | 20 | 19 | |
| Total | 60 | 50 | |
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lincoln City Ladies | 2011 | WSL | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 14 | 2 | |||
| Total | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 28 | 4 | |||
| Los Angeles Strikers | 2013 | USL W-League | Stats not available | |||||||||
| Los Angeles Blues | 2014 | |||||||||||
| SoCal FC | 2015 | |||||||||||
| Houston Dash | 2016 | NWSL | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 4 | ||
| 2017 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 5 | ||||
| 2018 | 24 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 10 | ||||
| 2019 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 5 | ||||
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | — | — | 7 | 3 | ||||
| 2021 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 1 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 19 | 10 | |||
| 2022 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 12 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 101 | 37 | 15 | 5 | — | 2 | 0 | 118 | 42 | |||
| West Ham United (loan) | 2020–21 | WSL | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | 12 | 5 | |
| Aston Villa | 2022–23 | WSL | 22 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | 30 | 30 | |
| 2023–24 | 20 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8 | — | 25 | 16 | |||
| 2024–25 | 22 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 28 | 13 | |||
| Total | 64 | 38 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | — | 83 | 59 | |||
| Career total | 198 | 82 | 24 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 241 | 110 | ||
| Year | England | Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 2016 | 5 | 1 | — | |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 2018 | 11 | 2 | — | |
| 2019 | 17 | 0 | — | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 2021 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 2022 | 20 | 4 | — | |
| 2023 | 18 | 3 | — | |
| 2024 | 3 | 2 | — | |
| Total | 84 | 16 | 4 | 0 |
Leeds United
Houston Dash
England
Individual
State and civic honours
International tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
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