Fran Kirby: Ex-England midfielder’s journey back after heart illness

Since her illness, Kirby, who was in her early teens when she tragically lost her mother to a brain haemorrhage, has been “a lot more cautious” about her health.

She takes extra care with rest and recovery as pericarditis can occur after a viral infection, such as a cold or flu.

“I obviously had got ill and then came back too early to try and play, and then it just kind of attacked that specific part of my body,” Kirby said.

“I hadn’t been feeling well for a while, but I kind of just put it down to… I’m a footballer – I’m going to be fatigued, I train every day, I go to the gym, I’m going to be tired.”

Kirby emerged as a youngster at Reading, scoring at a rate of more than a goal a game, a supremely talented forward who earned England caps and played in a World Cup while with her hometown club, before joining Chelsea in July 2015.

Her recovery from the hallway collapse was carefully managed, and Kirby returned the following season with a vengeance – scoring 16 goals and assisting 11 more in just 18 league matches for Chelsea. Those performances earned her the PFA’s Players’ Player of the Year award.

These days, she is particularly careful if she feels her body needs a break.

“I wouldn’t say I’m scared, but aware. I don’t want to have that pain in my chest ever again. It was terrifying,” said Kirby, who is now in her second season with Brighton.

“So whenever I get ill. [When people say] ‘Fran’s not in again’, I’m like, yeah, because I’ve gone through that. I don’t want to experience that again. I need to allow my body to recover.”

But even with a more measured approach to her football, Kirby – who was nicknamed ‘Mini Messi’ by former England boss Mark Sampson – still feels the pressure.

“Everyone expects a certain level when I play,” she said. “And that comes as part and parcel of obviously playing for Chelsea, playing for England, winning all of these things.

“You know every time someone turns on the TV or they go to a game they expect Fran Kirby to be this Fran Kirby. Fran Kirby can’t have an off day.”

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