Who is Lauren James: is she related to Reece James, England international’s career stats and road to Women’s World Cup

Lauren James was the star of the show for England as they continued their 100% record at the Women’s World Cup.

It took just six minutes for the Chelsea star to make her mark on the game and the 21-year-old scored a sensational goal to win the match on her first start of the tournament.

The 1-0 victory leaves England a step closer to the knockout stages and it is likely that James will play a key role in England’s hopes of progressing deep into the competition.

But who is Lauren James and how did she establish herself as a first team fixture in the England set-up?

Here is everything you need to know.

Who is Lauren James?

Lauren James is an English footballer who has been chosen to represent the Lionesses at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The striker currently plays for Chelsea and was a member of the team which won both the Women’s Super League and the Women’s FA Cup last term.

James was born on 29 September 2001 in London and she had spells in both the Chelsea and Arsenal academy as a teenager.

She was heavily influenced by her father Nigel who works as a UEFA licensed football coach.

James made her first team debut for Arsenal during the 2017/18 season and became the second-youngest player to represent the Gunners.

The young striker made a total of five first team appearances for the North London side before completing a move to join Manchester United in the second tier.

The transfer propelled James to stardom and she was a key part of the team which earned promotion to the WSL in the 2018/19 campaign and she scored an impressive 14 goals from 18 appearances. James wrote her name into the history books by scoring Man United’s first goal in the WSL era.

James spent a further two seasons with the Red Devils before joining champions Chelsea in 2021.

During her time with the Blues she has lifted a total of two WSL titles and two FA Cups. Her standout performances last season earned her the Young Player of the Year award at the Women’s Football Awards.

Is she related to Reece James?

Lauren James is the younger sister of Chelsea footballer Reece James, who is a regular fixture in the men’s international team.

He is viewed as one of the best attacking full-backs in the Premier League and played a key part in Chelsea’s Champions League triumph in 2021.

The Lionesses forward made her debut for England Women in 2022 and she is hoping to make a name for herself in her first ever international tournament.

James said: “I want to carve out (my own name) and be known as ‘this is Lauren James’.”

She added: “At the moment, men’s football has a much bigger profile and I’m sure there are times when I’ve said, ‘oh, that’s so and so’s sister, I think it’s just natural. But it doesn’t bother me too much because I know I have my own career.”

James has delivered on her promise in the early stages of the Women’s World Cup and she scored her side’s opening goal against Denmark on her first start of the tournament.