Ella Toone Opens Up About Loss, Football, and Her Wedding

Toone knew that, within hours of each match, Nick would always call her.

He and her mother, Karen, regularly attended Toone’s games, while Nick also recorded them on television. After returning home, he would watch the footage again before phoning his daughter to analyse the entire match.

“He was completely devoted to it,” the 26-year-old says. “He enjoyed women’s football even more than the men’s game. He knew every player and cared deeply about my career, my teammates and our style of play.

“He could walk into any pub and happily discuss women’s football or speak about me.”

Toone says her father was the main inspiration behind her football journey, driving her across the country for club fixtures and travelling overseas to attend England matches.

“Football was the special bond Dad and I shared,” she says. “He was probably among the first people to truly recognise my ability.”

One day after Toone scored in England’s 2-1 victory against Germany in the 2022 European Championship final, she remained unaware that her father had just received a prostate cancer diagnosis. At that point, he had told only his wife and brother.

“He did not want anybody to be concerned about him,” she explains. “He was unwell during the tournament, and I continue to discover more about what happened now that he is gone.”

She did not learn about his illness until the day after her Manchester United side lifted the FA Cup at Wembley in May 2024.

“It seemed as though every achievement was followed by something painful,” she says.

Nick died in September 2024, three days before he would have turned 60 and five days after Toone’s 25th birthday. She returned to training the next day.

“I immediately went back to football because I knew that was what he would have wanted,” she says.

“I was in the starting line-up for the first match at Old Trafford. It was extremely difficult, but playing felt like the right thing to do at that time. I could not remain at home feeling miserable and constantly dwelling on everything. I knew he would have been there, watching me.”