D
espite a summer
which left her
emotionally
“devastated” and
physically spent,
Toni Duggan remains
resolute she will not start taking
the easy option in life.
Today the England forward joins
up with her new Atletico Madrid
team-mates having switched to the
defending Spanish champions
following the end of her two-year
contract at Barcelona.
A new season brings the chance
to move on from the heartbreak of
a Champions League final defeat
followed by a World Cup semi-final
exit with England.
And while few would have
begrudged the 28-year-old seeking
out the chance to do that at an
English club who may have been
able to stretch to afford her,
Duggan insists a sense of
unfinished business is driving her
on in the Spanish capital.
“Home is where the heart is. It’s
always going to be in my mind to
go home, it’s the easy option. My
friends, family and boyfriend are at
home,” says Duggan, who had
offers “from all over the world” and
believes she will return to playing
in England one day.
“But you’ve got to weigh up
where you’re at in your life and
your career. If I went back home
now the likelihood of me going
back abroad probably wouldn’t
happen again. I’ve got to take this
opportunity while it’s there.
“I’m really inspired to win the
Spanish league. To be out here for
two to four years, I want to come
home with a league medal.”
In two seasons with Barcelona,
the former Everton and
Manchester City striker scored 29
goals in 72 matches and won the
Copa de la Reina and Copa
Catalunya Femenina. A Primera
Division Femenina winner’s medal
escaped her grasp, however, as
Barcelona twice finished
runner-up to Atletico.
Another runners-up medal, from
May’s Champions League final
after Barcelona lost 4-1 to Lyon,
particularly stings. It would be the
start of a period – including thelast-four defeat by eventual World
Cup champions the United States- which Duggan is still coming to
terms with.
“It was difficult. I’m sure I’ll
look back in a few years and
realise I got to the Champions
League final for the first
time in history with
Barcelona and it was a big
achievement. But the
way it panned out on
the day, that was what
hurt me the most,” she
says. “Then I was
gutted at the World
Cup. We believed we
could win it.”
Her own ambitions in
France were also hampered
by a quad injury she picked
up just 10 minutes into the
first session of the
pre-tournament training
camp. After missing the
first two group games,
she started the next
three matches, but
failed to score and then
did not feature in the semi-final.
She believes the stresses put on
her body throughout the campaign
caught up with her.
“It had been a long season in
Spain, we played probably
double the games the English
girls did in the English
league. I had got to the
Champions League final,
I’d had two days off
before we met up with
the team for the World
Cup.
“You can imagine how
physically demanding that
was. Obviously my body
wasn’t ready and when you
go into a World Cup you
want to be flying, you want
to be performing to the best
of your ability and I was quite
tired. It all added up.”
Duggan turned to friends
and family to help “clear my
mind” and occasional contact
with members of the England
squad. Then the news came last
week that she was extendingher stay in Spain. While firm in her
belief that the English Women’s
Super League is one of the best in
the world, Duggan understands
why more and more players –
including Manchester United
captain Alex Greenwood this week
agreeing a deal to join England
team-mates Lucy Bronze, Nikita
Parris and Izzy Christiansen at
European champions Lyon – are
following her lead in moving
overseas in pursuit of new
experiences.
In March, she scored in
Barcelona’s 2-0 victory in front of a
league-record crowd of 60,739 at
the Wanda Metropolitano stadium,
and the passion on display did not
go unnoticed. “When I went to
look around the club, they’ve built
their own training facility for the
women, that’s the first time I’ve
seen that for the women’s game.
They’re the kind of things that
drew me in,” she says. “Playing atNo Spain, no gain: Toni Duggan wants
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men’s team gives the women’s
team. It felt right.”
As for England, it is impossible
not to note the disappointment
each time the conversation returns
to the World Cup. Duggan, capped
75 times, remains convinced
“success is around the corner”
after three consecutive semi-final
defeats, but accepts buried
emotions will likely be revisited
when the squad join up this month
for a friendly against Belgium.
“It’s natural as a team to review
things. But we’ve got to learn from
it and move on,” she says.
Duggan’s targets this season are
winning the title with Atletico and
helping them progress in the
Champions League and then the
“dream” of competing for Great
Britain at next summer’s Olympics.
“It will be another long season,
but I’ll be used to it, I’ll have
adapted.” You do not doubt it with
Duggan.EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
‘I have to take this chance, I want to
come home with a league medal’
Pippa Field
Toni Duggan’s move to
Atletico Madrid shows
the England winger is
desperate for success
Kick It Out urges FA to take action after reports of racist attacks
By Tom Morgan
SPORTS NEWS CORRESPONDENTThe Football Association is under
pressure from anti-discrimination
campaigners to take action after a
fresh flurry of racist abuse on the
opening weekend of the season.
Fulham defender Cyrus Christie
alleged his sister was hit and
verbally abused by a Cottagers fan
during their Championship matchat Barnsley on Saturday, and South-
end striker Theo Robinson claimed
he was attacked at Coventry City.
In a statement calling for action
by clubs and football authorities,
the charity Kick It Out also said
James McClean, of Stoke, and
Barnsley’s Bambo Diaby were sub-
jected to abuse.
The anti-discrimination body
said: “These incidents should be a
reminder for everyone in football
that racism and discriminationcannot be ignored. Clubs and the
football authorities must be relent-
less in calling out this disgraceful
behaviour and be prepared to issue
strong sanctions and educationsessions to any supporter involved.
We have contacted the clubs to
offer our support to the players, are
liaising with the police and have
informed the FA of all the incidents,
so that whoever is responsible can
be brought to justice.
“Discrimination casts a shadow
over football in this country and we
will not stop highlighting the prob-
lem while it remains rife in the
game.”
The Fulham Supporters’ Trustsaid it was “shocked” at the alleged
abuse directed at Christie’s sister,
while the club have vowed to issue
a lifetime ban to anyone guilty of
racist abuse. South Yorkshire Police
have been in contact with the club
as they try to track down two fans
involved in the alleged incident.
A statement from the supporters’
club said: “We condemn any such
behaviour and encourage anyone
who witnessed the incident to con-
tact the club or police with details. ”Allegation: Cyrus
Christie says his
sister was hit and
racially abused
by a Fulham fanThe Daily Telegraph Tuesday 6 August 2019 *** 15