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Wales goalkeeper Olivia relishes Euro Championships

Wales goalkeeper Olivia relishes Euro Championships

Leader Live03-07-2025
Clark admits to a 'random' football journey that has taken her from defunct clubs to Champions League action in the Netherlands.
But probably the strangest part of the story is that Clark actually began her international journey with Wales when she was still serving fast food customers in Lincoln.
'I was front of house at McDonald's, on the tills and taking orders,' said Clark, whose next task is to stop Manchester City star Vivianne Miedema and company when Wales meet the Netherlands in their Euro 2025 opener on Saturday.
'I was still doing that when I first got into the Wales set-up.
'I said to them, 'I've got to go now to go to international camp' and they were like, 'What?' It was all very random, but then my whole career's been like that.'
Clark began her football career at local club Lincoln Ladies and switched from her striker role after 'our goalkeeper fell ill one day'.
While she would remain in situ, the team did not as Lincoln Ladies relocated to Nottingham and rebranded.
Clark thought her sporting future might lie in cricket – she had played for Lincolnshire and the Yorkshire Diamonds development team – but was persuaded to train at seventh-tier Boston and progressed up the pyramid via Nettleham, Huddersfield and Coventry United.
By then, her Wales career was up and running.
'I was on Twitter scrolling one day and saw the FAW holding a trial for Under-17s,' said Clark, now 23 and with 30 senior caps to her name ahead of Wales' major tournament bow in Lucerne.
'I said to my dad, 'Mum's Welsh, do you think I could play for Wales?'. He said, 'Of course', so he drove me four-and-a-half hours to Merthyr and I was soon invited to senior camp.
'It's been such an honour to play for Wales because it connects my family.'
Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati has joined up with the Spain Euro 2025 squad in Switzerland after being treated for viral meningitis.
Bonmati, who has won the Ballon d'Or for the past two years, was absent for her country's 3-1 friendly win over Japan on Friday as she received treatment at a Madrid hospital. She was discharged on Sunday.
The Spanish Football Federation shared photos on social media of the 27-year-old arriving at the team hotel late on Monday.
Spain begin their Euros campaign in Bern with a Group B fixture against Portugal tonight, while Belgium face Italy.
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