Source:REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
[Saba Sports News] According to UK media reports, Chelsea and England women’s national team goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has won the 2025 Women’s Yashin Award. Notably, Hampton was born with strabismus and has undergone multiple eye surgeries since childhood. Despite these challenges, she overcame significant difficulties to win the highest honor for a women’s football goalkeeper. Reports state that Hampton has congenital strabismus, meaning her eyes cannot align properly. She underwent three surgeries before the age of three, none of which fully resolved the issue. At age 11, a medical examination revealed she also has impaired depth perception, which causes difficulties in judging distances and spatial relationships. Doctors told Hampton that she was unsuitable for football and that becoming a professional player, especially a goalkeeper, was impossible. However, this did not stop Hampton from pursuing her dream. Because she often placed her hands in the wrong position when catching the ball, she suffered multiple finger fractures and nosebleeds. Hampton admits to feeling somewhat self-conscious about how her eyes look in photos taken from certain angles. She is aware of a surgery that could cosmetically correct the appearance of her eyes, although it wouldn’t change her vision. Speaking openly about this topic requires courage, especially as a current England international goalkeeper who is under increased scrutiny.