United in grief, Ella Toone and Beth Mead form a special bond to shine at Euro 2025

Independent

a day ago

Ella Toone stopped and sent a kiss towards the sky. In moments such as scoring for your country at a major tournament, the most important people can become those who are not there. Toone is 25 and is already appearing at her third major tournament for England. But it's also the first she has played in since the loss of her father Nick to prostate cancer last September. Another goal at Euro 2025 was dedicated to the memory of her most reliable supporter.
That Toone has hit red-hot form at the Euros should not be taken for granted. Against Wales, Toone scored, made two assists and had completed 100 per cent of her passes before being taken off at half-time to ensure she did not pick up a second yellow card of the tournament that would have resulted in a suspension for the quarter-finals.
But for those 45 minutes Toone played with freedom and assurance, displaying a clarity of thought to find the spaces in the tightly-packed Wales defence while creating other gaps elsewhere. There was the vision to see the risky pass, and the confidence to execute it. In a year where the world must have felt so cruel, Toone has arrived at Euro 2025 with a clear-minded understanding of being exactly where she needs to be.
Her grief, though, has not disappeared. Every day is different and being away from home at a major tournament can present its own challenges. But when Toone is with England she can rely on the support and guidance of Beth Mead, who lost her mother June to ovarian cancer in January 2023 - just six months after winning the Euros. This is Mead's first tournament since losing a parent, too, and the forward also pointed to the sky as she scored in England's 6-1 win over Wales.
'We've really bonded over such a terrible thing,' Toone said. 'It's nice to have someone who's been through it and who understands and knows exactly what's going on and what's going on in my head as well. We've definitely got each other's backs. We're proud of each other and what's nice is that we're constantly talking about them. We know we're doing them proud.'
'We both said in the first game we really struggled a little bit,' Mead said. 'You look to the stands for your person who was standing there and they're not there anymore. I think my mum was the first person I would look for in the stands. I obviously understand what Ella felt in that moment and it's just special to be able to have that moment, think about them and dedicate it to them.'
Toone opened up on the death of her father and the pain of his loss in an article for the Players Tribune in January. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer the day after Toone scored in England's Euro 2022 final victory over Germany, but Toone was not told exactly how ill he was until almost two years later and after Manchester United won the FA Cup final last May. By September, a few days before his 60th birthday, he was gone.
Toone didn't take time off at first after her father passed away before the first day of the season. She played on for Manchester United, believing it's what he would have wanted, but struggled for form and it wasn't until she injured her calf in training in November that she paused to reflect. The Players Tribune article was a way for Toone to understand and process her grief. By the start of 2025, she was transformed on the pitch and it has carried into the Euros. Mead called her performance against Wales 'unbelievable'.
'I think Tooney's really coming into her own,' Mead said. 'Sometimes in situations where you feel a little bit low, it brings you to the top of your game. I have felt that and done that before and been in a tough place and come back, and I think you can see that she's been given that kind of aura, that type of energy, and she deserves everything she's getting right now.'
Mead said she has been a 'shoulder' for Toone to lean on while they are away in Switzerland. Toone will often come to her questioning the emotions she is still processing and how long that journey will last. 'I'm like, 'It's completely normal. I've been there. I still feel like it now',' Mead said. 'She says she talks so easily about it but ultimately I've had a little bit longer to process it compared to her. We all deal with it differently and I think she's dealing pretty amazingly with it right now.'
Mead has been on her own journey too, and her goal against Wales was her first for England at the major tournament since she won the golden boot at Euro 2022 after missing the 2023 World Cup due to injury. The chance to take her own moment and dedicate it to her mother June had been long overdue.
'I was absolutely buzzing for Beth,' Toone said. 'That's the Beth that I saw in 2022 at the Euros when she took an extra touch in the box and sat a few defenders down and got a goal. I'm so happy for her. I was buzzing for her that she got that tonight and we both could celebrate to the sky. I'm sure they'll be up there with a few pints in their hand watching us.'