Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Mary Arps hopes she can reconcile with Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman after a sour relationship that led to her shock retirement from the England squad ahead of Euro 2025.
Arps, who made headlines when he announced he was retiring from England duty just weeks before this summer’s tournament, has been at the center of controversy following recent comments about his relationship with Wiegman and former Lionesses team-mate Hannah Hampton.
In his autobiography, All In, Earps revealed that Wiegman rewarded Hampton for his “bad behavior” by reinstating him to the Lionesses team in 2023.
Hampton’s return to the team, now England’s No. 1, will ultimately mark the end of Earps’ international career.
Mr. Arps explained how he came to this decision after a series of conversations with Mr. Wiegman, in which he was told that she would no longer be No. 1 and that Mr. Hampton would take her place.
Despite the fallout from the Earps revelations, the former Manchester United goalkeeper is hopeful he can reconcile with Wiegman, but admits there is a difference in perspective.
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Earp talks about the pain of retiring from Lionesses and why she made that decision
Mr Arps told Sky News: “I hope that in the future we can have a discussion and once everything calms down we will be able to draw a line under everything.”
“But the last time we spoke, I met her at the Ballon d’Or ceremony and at St George’s Park, we acknowledged that, as you know, we have different opinions and different points of view on certain things.
“We didn’t see things the same way, but that doesn’t diminish the memories we shared and the respect there is from my side.”
Wiegman led England to their second victory at the summer Euros, while Hampton made a huge contribution to the tournament with two penalty saves as the Lionesses defeated world champions Spain on spot kicks in the final.
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The Athletic’s Megan Feringa explains why Earps decided to open up about his feelings about former teammate Hannah Hampton.
Earps himself had a brilliant career in England. She helped the Lionesses win their first Euro in 2022 and was also part of the team that reached the World Cup final in 2023, saving a penalty in a 1-0 loss.
Arps was not involved in England’s victory in Switzerland but was delighted to see Hampton succeed as England’s number one.
“I don’t consider it (No. 1) my shirt. I think I wore that shirt at one point. I spent more time earning the shirt than I did wearing it, and I think that journey is over.”
Hampton (right) takes Wiegman’s England number one spot from Earps.
“I think she did a great job and the team kept winning. And for me, I love to see a goalie win.”
“That’s a big part of my job. Everything I do on and off the pitch is trying to make goalkeeping cool, trying to put goalkeeping on the map.”
Ears will return to England on Wednesday when her club PSG will face her former club Man United in the Women’s Champions League.
She hopes she will be well-received and remembered for what she achieved with the club, including her first major trophy. In the final, Earps’ final match for the club, Manchester United defeated Tottenham to win the 2024 Women’s FA Cup.
