ZURICH -- There were raised eyebrows when Michelle Agyemang's name was listed among Sarina Wiegman's 23-player England squad heading to Switzerland for Euro 2025. Fans assumed the 19-year-old Arsenal striker would not play and questioned whether more experience would be needed in defense of their trophy. Yet she has become England's saving grace; an "agent of chaos" who has salvaged the Lionesses campaign with key late goals twice in the knockout rounds.
She was on the pitch for 11 minutes when she struck the equalizer in the quarterfinal against Sweden to make it 2-2, before England progressed after a bizarre penalty shootout. And, after coming on in the 85th minute against Italy in the semifinal, she struck home a calm finish near the end of stoppage time to take the game to extra time, before Chloe Kelly bagged the winning penalty in the 118th minute.
Fittingly, Agyemang's name literally translates to "savior of a nation." And, while she is unlikely to start in the upcoming final against Spain unless Wiegman opts to play a 3-5-2 formation, all eyes will be on the youngster if she comes off the bench again.
Agyemang has become the epitome of the term "super-sub," but with so much attention on the youngster, there's a lot she can learn from those who have walked the path before her that will help guide her in the future.
Teaching from her teammates
The scale of playing at her first senior tournament is far bigger than anything that has come before in her career and, by Agyemang's own admission, it has been overwhelming. You wouldn't know that though; not with how she has performed as she handles the pressure of coming on and being told to change a game.
Primarily, Agyemang has looked to Chelsea forward Lauren James as the inspiration for her cool and calm style on the ball. "She [James] is one of the most technically gifted players I have ever seen," Agyemang says. "She is so calm and collected on the ball. You can see that whether she is in front of goal or under pressure, she knows what she is doing. That's something I want to take into my game and be consistent at."
Taking on information from Arsenal teammate Alessia Russo has been the biggest boost, though, as they play in the same position up front. While it was Ellen White who ran at defenses for 85 minutes at Euro 2022, tiring them out and setting up Russo to come on and change things off the bench, Russo has now stepped into the White role in Switzerland, with Agyemang able to make an impact in a short space of time.
"She [Russo] is so consistent in the way she plays, the way she trains, and you see it on the pitch as well," Agyemang says. "She makes a big impact in the game and that's obviously something that I strive to do whenever I get onto the pitch."
Agyemang has grasped her opportunity with both hands and Wiegman has preferred her to Chelsea striker Aggie Beever-Jones, who many thought would star in the same role. But it's her natural aggression which has tipped the scales. "In duels I think she needs to calm down a little bit as she makes some fouls," Wiegman said back in May. "You don't want to almost destroy your opponent."
Yet, in training, teammate Lucy Bronze is encouraging the 19-year-old to go as hard as she can. The veteran right back knows that the last thing opposition defenses want to see, having been tired out by Russo's athleticism and skill for most of the game, is the tenacious, aggressive and clinical youngster stepping on to the pitch.
"You see it when she comes on, defenders are petrified of her," Bronze says. "She comes on, a defender has played 90 minutes and then they have to come up against Michelle; I sure as hell wouldn't want that to be me."
Arsenal ascension
Agyemang has been at Arsenal since the age of six and made her Women's Super League (WSL) in November 2022 at 16. But her path to the first team has not been straightforward and she has, to date, played only four times for the senior side. Having signed her first professional contract when she turned 18, a loan spell at Brighton & Hove Albion last season was not as productive as hoped and she scored just three goals in 17 WSL games.
But now, with the Champions League winners already having an established set of world-class forwards in Russo, Stina Blackstenius, Beth Mead and the first £1 million signing in the women's game, Olivia Smith, Agyemang will have less access to game time to hone her craft and will likely have to fight for her place or go out on loan again next season.
While she will not be expected to have an immediate impact at club level, her summer of success with England will raise the expectation level and she will have to learn how to bide her time and stay focused. Already the team around her, made up of her agent, Arsenal and FA staff and PR manager, have been helping her adjust to the new-found popularity and added media obligations that come as a result.
Many England players have spoken highly of their support network and it is something that will be relied upon as her career accelerates because the spotlight can come as a cost. But so far, she is not too concerned about outward pressure.
"I think most of the pressure comes from myself," she says. "I don't try to listen to the noise. I appreciate the support from everyone. I think focusing on what I can do is most important, and then the noise will come around no matter what happens. But I think for me, just focusing on how I can improve my game and how I can help the team is my most important thing."
Salma's story
Michelle Agyemang, Leah Williamson, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly react to England's win against Italy to reach Euro 2025 final.
While starring at a major tournament is thrilling for a teenager, it can come with a negative light. Her counterpart in the Spain side she will face in the final on Sunday, 21-year-old forward Salma Paralluelo, is two years ahead of where Agyemang is currently, but is something of a cautionary tale.
Salma burst on to the scene with Villarreal and after three seasons with the Spanish side, European juggernauts Barcelona came knocking to sign her when she was 18. Two months into her debut season, she made her international debut; within eight months, she was starting at the 2023 World Cup, setting the stage alight and shining brighter than even seasoned players. Then-Spain manager Jorge Vilda even said: "I don't have to explain her quality, but she is just 19 and no-one knows what her ceiling is."
She was named Young Player of the Tournament due to her blistering pace and adaptability to play anywhere across the forward line, which led to two consecutive third-place finishes in the Ballon d'Or voting after another productive season at Barcelona.
But then in October 2024, after making 92 appearances for club and country in under two years, Paralluelo announced she was taking an indefinite break from the game, citing mental and physical exhaustion. It has been a battle ever since to return to her old form and though she was tipped to shine in Spain's attack at Euro 2025, she has often found herself on the bench and has yet to score in Switzerland.
It's too early to say whether Agyemang will claim this year's Young Player award at the Euros, but it is clear that she is about to have the world at her feet, just like Salma did two years ago. It's a similar story of a meteoric rise and the pressures that come hand in hand with that.
Learning to cope with the attention that comes with being identified as the "next big thing" is tough; the mental side of the game is one of the major talking points at the tournament and England teammate Georgia Stanway recently spoke candidly about the growth of women's football having unfortunate consequences with a rise in social media abuse, online harassment and negative attention.
Nobody doubts her skill on the pitch and Agyemang has already shown experience beyond her years, but Spain are a different prospect. Three years ago, Salma was handed a starting spot in the final and tormented England as Spain won 1-0 and claimed their first major women's title; now Agyemang will have a chance to write her own name into history.