Steph Houghton
Updated: Wikipedia source
Stephanie Jayne Darby (née Houghton, , born 23 April 1988), commonly known as Steph Houghton, is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Known for her leadership and commitment, Houghton was widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the world during her career. At club level, Houghton started at Sunderland in her native North East England, before moving on to Leeds Carnegie in 2007, where she won the FA Women's Premier League Cup. In 2010, she joined Arsenal Ladies, where she won the FA WSL on two occasions and is a two-time winner of the FA Women's Cup and three-time winner of the FA WSL Cup. She broke into the Sunderland team as a striker before moving back into midfield and later into defence. Since her debut in 2007, Houghton has played over 100 times for England women's national team. She suffered serious injuries immediately before the 2007 World Cup and Euro 2009, but recovered to play in the 2011 World Cup and Euro 2013. She was made England captain in January 2014, and went on to captain her country at two World Cups and a Women's Euro, earning a bronze medal at the 2015 World Cup. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Houghton scored three goals in Great Britain's four games, including winners against New Zealand and Brazil. She represented Great Britain again in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Houghton was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to football. She was awarded the Freedom of the City of Sunderland on 8 March 2023.