Manchester City defender reveals seven-word text message which crushed ‘desperate’ career dream

The centre-back was not named in Sarina Wiegman’s squad to play in the home tournament despite battling hard to return to full strength after suffering an achilles rupture.

In July, Houghton watched the Wembley trophy lift from the sidelines as the Lionesses secured their first ever major tournament win.

Since her international debut at Under 19 level in 2008, Houghton has earned over 100 England caps and was first trusted with the armband in 2014.

She captained the Lionesses to World Cup semi-finals in 2015 and 2019 and was looking forward to leading her side out at the European Championships before a serious achilles injury suffered in September 2021 disrupted her plans.

Amid uncertainty regarding her fitness, the Durham-born player accepted Wiegman’s decision to hand Leah Williamson the armband for the tournament as preparations accelerated, with Houghton working tirelessly to be ready in time.

But she didn’t make it - when Wiegman cut down a provisional 28-strong squad to just 23 players to compete in the tournament, Houghton was one of the five cut from the group.

This week, Houghton told the Players’ Tribune of the Wednesday afternoon at St George’s Park when the Lionesses were set to discover the final squad by text.

“I could see Sarina and [assistant coach] Arjan Veurink in this big room,” Houghton said. “I was grabbing a coffee when I got my text. It just said, “Can you come up to the room?”

“I remember thinking, ‘This isn’t good….’ I already had a feeling, but then Sarina told me I wasn’t going.

“Honestly, I’ve never packed a suitcase so fast in my life. In my head I was just thinking, I just need to get out of here as soon as possible.

“I was devastated. After everything I’d been through, I just wanted to go home, to be with [husband] Stephen.

“Getting out of St George’s Park, it’s impossible not to bump into people everywhere — teammates, staff, the media.

“In that moment, you just want to be invisible and not have to interact with anybody.”

In Houghton’s absence, England made history this summer by emerging victorious from the home tournament as record-breaking crowds watched on from the stands and their homes.

There were conflicting feelings for the defender as she missed out on a huge moment for the sport she loves.

“Of course I watched the final — I couldn’t miss it,” Houghton said. “But to be totally honest, throughout the Euros, I found it difficult to watch the games.

“I was so desperate to be there that when I wasn’t selected, I wasn’t sure how good it was for me mentally to watch the tournament.

“When you’re not there … I can’t lie, it’s always going to be bittersweet.

“But watching the final I realised it hadn’t changed how I felt about any of the girls or how I feel about England. It’s so amazing for them and for the women’s game.”