Lauren James

Lauren grew up playing football with her two older brothers and was scouted at the age of 13 by Arsenal, where she began playing with the boy’s team. 

Within two years she began training with the Women’s first team and at the time, became the youngest player in the club’s history – male or female – to make her senior debut. Lauren moved to Manchester United as part of a restructured 2018-19 Women’s Championship, in which she scored 14 goals and helped the club in promotion to the WSL. The following season, she scored Manchester United’s first ever WSL goal, was the club’s top scorer and was awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year 2023.

After three seasons in Manchester, Lauren moved to Chelsea in July 2021 becoming one of the most expensive teenagers in women’s football at the time. Having represented the England senior team, she and her brother Reece are the first brother and sister to do so. Lauren was selected by England for the 2023 World Cup and made her major tournament debut against Haiti, scoring three goals and providing three assists in her four appearances in total in Australia and New Zealand.

Since signing for Chelsea, Lauren has won the WSL 3 seasons in a row and finished the 23/24 season as Chelsea's top scorer with 16 goals and won Chelsea's Women's Player of the Season. In January 2024 she was named in the prestigious FIFA FIFPro World XI for the previous year and the accolades kept coming James's way when in September 2024, she was nominated for the Ballon d'Or.

Off the pitch, she wants to drive greater diversity in the women’s game, looking be an inspiration for young girls & boys from diverse backgrounds to overcome the challenges & barriers preventing them to continue playing football. In September 2024, she launched the LJ10 Scholarship an initiative that supports five young girls per year, each from diverse backgrounds that have been identified alongside the London FA as having real footballing potential. Visa are proud to support Lauren and the girls with this initiative.