Williamson’s woe could be difference between winning the World Cup or not

Picking over the bones of what Leah Williamson’s anterior cruciate ligament injury means for England feels brutal. Cruel even. Because, in reality, none of it matters. Where Arsenal finish in the league and Champions League doesn’t matter, whether England win the World Cup doesn’t matter. In this moment all that does matter is that a 26-year-old footballer in her prime has had to let short-term dreams die to embark on a mentally and physically bruising journey.

“The noise around the situation is loud and I need some quiet to let it all sink in,” said Williamson on Instagram after the extent of her injury was announced. Yet, here I am, adding to the noise. Hopefully Williamson never sees this article, hopefully she is switched off from the outside world and being engulfed in the embrace of the tight unit of friends and family that mean more to her than anything else.

Williamson knows how to contextualise the sport she plays; she has demonstrated that time and again in interviews. She says it explicitly in her social media post: “In the past couple of years alone I have watched teammates beat serious illnesses and adversity with the biggest of smiles on their faces. I also hold perspective that globally there are much greater difficulties and therefore my circumstances right now are just that, circumstantial, and I’ve seen a lot worse.”

The perspective helps remind you that it all doesn’t really matter. But it also really does. On a personal level it’s her career, her joy, her structure but on a wider level it’s our joy, our release, our hopes, our game.

Arguably, such is Williamson’s influence and importance, the absence of the England captain is the difference between England winning the World Cup or not. That is a huge