Rachel Daly discussed the surprise greeting her signing for Aston Villa, on the latest instalment of The Official Aston Villa Podcast.
The striker joined Kate Tracey and Alan McInally for EP09 of the club’s popular podcast at Bodymoor Heath, available now on streaming platforms and VillaTV.
The 33-year-old discussed a number of topics, including joining the club in 2022 on the back of a historic European Championships win with England, and picking up the WSL Golden Boot in her first season.
Aston Villa Podcast EP09
“A lot of people (were) shocked when I signed for Villa,” she said.
“They weren’t established in the women’s game at all at that point. They’d just come back into the professional fold and into the top flight.
“People were confused at first, that’s where I used that as: ‘right, let’s go put my stamp on it and show what I can do’.
“It was more like: come in, be a good person, help the younger players develop but be the best player you can possibly be.
“The way I lead is on the pitch. I give everything every single day at training and in games.”
Joining the Villans from American outfit Houston Dash in 2022, Daly hit the ground running in claret and blue, netting 22 WSL goals and 30 in all competitions, helping the side achieve a fifth-place league finish – their highest in history.
The Harrogate-born England international described the motivation she arrived with, having helped her country win the Euros for the first time over the summer, following the sad passing of her father the year before.
She added: “It was a year which was sort of like, again: ‘prove people wrong’.
“The fact that I got the Golden Boot in a team that finished fifth is crazy. The chemistry the team had, it was always like we found a way to get the goals.
“We conceded more that we should, but we scored a lot of goals. It was a really good season for the club.
“You come in off the back of that tournament (Euros), and losing my dad the year before was a big motivation for me.
“I feel like I had a new perspective on football. It kind of switched my mindset to be like: ‘nothing’s worse than that, so just get on with it’.
“That was my mindset shift which really helped me, but coming off the back of that year was (helpful).”
The Official Aston Villa Podcast is here!
Welcome to our latest regular offering for all supporters, available for free on all your favourite podcast platforms and also in video format on VillaTV+.
Co-hosted by fans’ favourite Alan McInally and VillaTV presenter Kate Tracey, The Official Aston Villa Podcast brings you all things claret and blue.
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