STEPH HOUGHTON

"Princess Anne called me Fara when I got my MBE - I didn't dare correct her! What can you say? You just say, 'Yes, ma'am""

- Chris Flanagan

The opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics was still two days away when Steph Houghton began to change everything for women’s football in the UK.

The very first event of the Games pitched the Great Britain women’s team against New Zealand in Cardiff, live on BBC One. Just past the hour mark, left-back Houghton thundered in the only goal of the game from a free-kick, to become an unexpected hero.

Three days later she scored again, against Cameroon. Three days after that, she bagged another: the winner against Brazil in front of 70,584 at Wembley, a record for a women’s game in England. The team captured the hearts of a nation – from that summer, women’s football on these shores hasn’t looked back.

Houghton herself went on to captain England to two World Cup semi-finals, before suffering the heartbreak of missing out on selection for Euro 2022. Even that, though, is put into perspective by the devastating battle that her husband has faced. Months after she married Stephen Darby in 2018, the then-Bolton defender was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Since then, they have helped to raise more than £2 million for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation.

Houghton brought an end to her own playing days this summer, at the age of 36. Having released her autobiography this month, she’s here with FFT to answer readers’ questions...

Who were your heroes growing up?