Ellen White vows to keep scoring after breaking Kelly Smith's England goal record

Ellen White has vowed to keep scoring goals for England after breaking the Lionesses’ all-time record previously held by legend Kelly Smith.

Having gone one behind Smith’s final tally of 46 in England’s win over Austria on Saturday, White equalled and then broke the record in style with a hat-trick in the stunningly relentless 20-0 annihilation of Latvia in their latest 2023 World Cup qualifier.

White’s first was an effort from distance that flashed into the net, with the record-breaking goal a trademark poacher’s tap-in on the edge of the six-yard box. Her third of the night, setting her new goal tally 48, was another powerful shot from outside the box.

“I actually feel really emotional about it,” the 32-year-old, who debuted for England in 2010 and has played at the highest club level for more than a decade, told ITV Football.

“It’s incredible, to be honest. I feel really lucky, I’ve had amazing support from my family, my friends, my coaches, my teammates, the staff, but I’m not stopping here. I still want to keep going, I still want to score goals for England,” she added.

“It’s spoken about a lot, breaking this record and going above Kelly Smith. To me, she is a legend, I have so much love and respect for her. I feel very lucky that I played alongside her and was her teammate, so she will always be the best for me.”

As well being proud of her own achievements, White wanted to shine the spotlight on her teammates for their performances against Latvia, which an all-time record win for England and only one goal shy of the world-record winning margin in the history of women’s international football.

Lauren Hemp scored her first four England goals, while Alessia Russo got her first three with a hat-trick off the bench. Jess Carter also got off the mark at international level

“I feel really proud of the girls tonight, because some of them have scored their first goals for England,” White explained. “The pride I feel for them…how much I love scoring for England, but seeing them score, they’re coming through now.”

Six wins from six, 53 goals scored, none conceded and a five-point cushion at the top of their qualifying group puts England well on course to reach the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, a fifth consecutive finals for the Lionesses.

International football now pauses until February when England host an invitational tournament featuring Germany, Spain and Canada. World Cup qualifiers will briefly continue in April, before all focus for the Lionesses turns to Euro 2022 on home soil in the summer.

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