Arsenal and England forward Chloe Kelly has been transformed into a Barbie doll as part of a special series to mark International Women’s Day.
Two-time European Championship winner Kelly, 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams and India cricketer Smriti Mandhana are among the sporting figures included by Mattel in its first ever “Barbie Dream Team”, which it says “honours women who led the way in their industries”.
“To be a Barbie role model is so special,” said Kelly, 28. “To have my very own one-of-a-kind doll – I’m very proud of that.
“You don’t really believe these things could happen. You always look for the trophies and the wins on the pitch but, off the pitch, this is a massive win.”
She added: “As a young girl, you dreamed of having these moments but they never seemed to be the case that they could come true.”
Kelly was a key member of the England squads that won the past two European Championships.
She scored the Lionesses’ extra-time winner at Wembley that secured victory over Germany in the 2022 final, then netted the winning penalty in a shootout against Spain that retained the trophy in Switzerland last summer.
Kelly was also involved as England reached the final of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
At club level, she was part of the Arsenal team that won last season’s Women’s Champions League.
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