It's been impossible to escape the storm surrounding the release of Mary Earps' new book this past week, with the former England No.1 making headlines aplenty for her comments on Sarina Wiegman and Hannah Hampton in particular - and not in a good way. Earps has since said she "never intentionally" meant to "hurt" anyone, but it's hard to imagine that Hampton has not been negatively impacted by everything that has unfolded over the course of the last seven days.

Unfortunately, it's not the first time the Chelsea goalkeeper has garnered unwanted attention. Between the speculation of her England absence after the 2022 European Championship, the captivating competition with Earps to be the Lionesses' No.1 for the 2025 tournament and the unwelcome feeling she received from some fans after winning that battle earlier this year, Hampton has been through a lot already in her career, aged just 24.

Most impressive of all, then, is what she has achieved despite all of that. Having helped Chelsea win just a second-ever domestic treble last term before starring in England's Euro 2025 triumph, Hampton was named to the FIFPRO World XI on Monday, beating out competition from Earps to deny her former Lionesses team-mate a spot in the team for a third successive year.

Amid all the noise this week, it was a timely reminder of Hampton's ascension to the very top of the game. For a team with lofty ambitions like Chelsea, that world-class quality is invaluable.