Ffion Morgan is the Cymru social media star and earlier this week the striker sat down with UEFA to reflect on her journey and reveal the surprising moment when the magnitude of qualifying for the EURO finals finally sank in.
“I think you talk about it, and you get excited, but when you’re actually here it’s just on another level,” explained the 25-year-old from the team hotel. “The biggest moment for me is the bus! The bus that we have is EURO-themed and it’s got Wales on the side.
“I’ve been to tournaments in the past and watched other teams in the tournaments turn up in these buses, and now I’m actually sat on one! That weirdly has been a huge moment for me, that’s really like, ‘Okay, I’m here now, and Wales have made it’.”
Morgan heads to Switzerland with 43 caps under her belt and scored what proved to be a crucial goal against Slovakia in the play-off semi-final as she came off the bench to reduce the deficit in the 2-1 defeat. Cymru turned the game around in Cardiff a few days later, Jess Fishlock levelling the tie to take the match to extra-time before Ceri Holland sealed the 3-2 aggregate victory.
“Looking back, at the time I didn’t realise how important that was,” Morgan explained. “But scoring that goal for 2-1 away was huge in the next game. I want to help in any way that I can, so coming off the bench and scoring that important goal I’m definitely proud of myself, and my family were very happy!”
The striker would also find herself on the field for the last 30 minutes of the play-off final in Dublin as Cymru made history with a 2-1 win against the Republic of Ireland.
“It was crazy,” she said. “I mean the last 10 minutes of the game were so stressful and it felt like every set piece was going against us. But I think we all knew that the moment was ours. Even before the game, everyone’s feelings, emotions towards the game, we were just excited.
“I think it was just our time. When the whistle went it’s all kind of a blur really, but that night was amazing. All our family were there, and only now it’s sinking in that we’re here. It was an unreal experience.”
Morgan is very familiar with the Welsh football pathway having progressed through the FAW Academy programme before representing Cymru at every age group ahead of her senior debut as a teenager in 2017 while playing for Bristol Academy.
“The FAW gave me an opportunity to do my education and train at the same time,” she explained. “For me, as a young footballer, the more I was playing the better I was becoming. I was taking every opportunity I could, especially after growing up with a lack of opportunities, I just wanted it all. “To get my education and train with the FAW, work my way up, and then into the senior squad, it definitely helped me.
“There was a lack of club opportunity in Wales, so when I signed for Bristol Academy that’s when I really saw my career kick-on. It made me realise I can do this full-time, but if it wasn’t for my parents, bless them, driving me two hours to Bristol three times a week I think it was, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Morgan is a familiar face to the younger generation of Cymru fans through her hugely popular ‘A day in the life of a footballer’ social media videos.
“I don’t think I realise how much it does actually inspire young kids,” she added. “I do get a lot of messages, and I have a lot of fans, which is amazing.
“Growing up I always wanted to play football, but I didn’t realise I could play for Wales. I met Loren Dykes who’s a former player, and when I saw her in a Wales shirt, I thought ‘I could be like her’. You have to see it to believe it, and I think if I can be that for people, on social media or at the games, then I’ll play my part in inspiring the next generation.”
