Kirby had an incredible 2020/21 campaign for Chelsea, helping the Blues to win the Barclays FA Women’s Super League and Continental Cup, and reach the Champions League final.
The forward, who netted 25 goals in 32 appearances last season, also won the Professional Footballers’ Association and Football Writers’ Player of the Year award but Kirby admitted there was a time when selection for the Tokyo Olympics seemed out of reach.
‘I knew I wasn’t in a position to be selected for the [2020] Olympics and I never thought about Olympic selection this time because I was basically starting from scratch,’ added Kirby.
‘I just thought “if I get to play some part of Chelsea’s season, then great”.
‘When I got the email, I was like “wow’” All the hard work that you’ve done has paid off because you are going to be a part of something that’s incredible.
‘It’s quite funny. My aunties always believe I’m the best player ever, regardless of whether I play well or not, so when I told them, they were like “of course you’ve been selected”. That’s just your family, isn’t it? They always believe you are the best.
‘Everyone was just really happy for me after everything I’ve gone through. I stayed with them as much as I could during everything, so they saw it first hand. For me to tell them I got selected was really special. It was a massively proud moment for me and my family.’