At just 19 years old, Michelle Agyemang is turning heads on the international stage after scoring a sensational goal only 41 seconds into her debut for the senior England women’s team in a Nations League clash against Belgium.
The thunderous volley — struck cleanly into the top corner — was not enough to save England from a 3-2 defeat, but it has firmly planted Agyemang’s name in the spotlight as a top contender for a place in Sarina Wiegman’s Euro 2025 squad.
Agyemang’s meteoric rise from the Arsenal youth academy to the Lionesses senior team is the stuff of football dreams. The lifelong Arsenal fan joined the club at age six after her father, a grassroots football coach, secured her a trial.
Originally a defender, Agyemang transitioned into a forward and made her first-team debut at just 16 years old in 2022.
Her development continued with a loan spell at Watford, where she scored five goals in ten appearances during the 2023–24 season. She later signed her first professional contract with Arsenal before moving on loan to Brighton & Hove Albion, where she has added three goals in 19 appearances.
The England setup has followed her growth closely. With 25 youth caps from Under-16 to under-23 levels, her recent performances for the Under-19s — including a goal in a 5-1 win over Austria — earned her a late senior call-up to replace the injured Alessia Russo.
Agyemang described her whirlwind journey as “a crazy 10 days,” saying she felt “the love” from teammates and coaches alike.
“This is the level I want to play at week in, week out,” she said in a BBC Sport interview. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity.”
Praise for Agyemang’s performance has poured in from teammates and football veterans alike.
- Sarina Wiegman, England manager, said: “That goal was just incredible. The composure, the first touch and the second touch… really nice that she comes on and within a minute she has the moment.”
- Leah Williamson, England captain, joked: “The first training session at Arsenal she hit me hard enough to remember her name.”
- Jen Beattie, former Arsenal and Scotland defender, called her “an unbelievable finisher.”
- Ellen White, the Lionesses’ all-time top scorer, was even more direct: “Take her to the Euros.”
With a professional resume that already includes top-tier club experience, national youth caps, and now a goal-of-the-season contender on her international debut, Michelle Agyemang is more than just a rising star — she may well be the next face of English women’s football.
