Maria Edwards (footballer)

Maria Edwards (born 12 May 2003) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United of the FA Women's Super League.[2]

Maria Edwards
Personal information
Full name Maria Edwards
Date of birth (2003-05-12) 12 May 2003[1]
Place of birth England,
Playing position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 24
Youth career
2013–2015 Manchester City
2015–2017 Manchester United
2017–2019 Manchester City
2019– Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019– Manchester United 0 (0)
National team‡
2019– England U17 3 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 27 October 2019
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 27 October 2019

Club career

Youth career

Maria Edwards started her football career in the Manchester City academy. She was the leading goalscorer for her respective age bracket, scoring 70 goals in 24 games during the 2014–15 season.[3] On 13 June 2015, Edwards was signed by Manchester United and joined the Regional Talent Club before returning to Manchester City in 2017.[3] On 14 April 2018, Edwards scored a hat-trick for the U16s during a 3–1 victory over Reading in the final of the FA Youth Cup at St George’s Park.[4][5]

Manchester United

In 2019, Edwards rejoined United following the creation of a senior team the season before. The club also entered a full-time U21 team to compete in the FA WSL Academy League for the first time.[6][7] Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Edwards received the number 24 shirt and traveled to Norway with the senior team during preseason, making her unofficial senior debut in a friendly against Vålerenga.[8] On 16 September 2019, Edwards was named as a substitute for the senior team for the first time during United's FA Women's Super League game against Arsenal.[9]

International career

In October 2019, Edwards was called up to England U17 squad for the 2020 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship qualifying round in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She made her U17 debut as a substitute in the opening game against Croatia.[10] Edwards played in all three group games and scored two goals.[11][12]

Boxing

Edwards started boxing aged 8 at the Collyhurst and Moston Boxing Club in Manchester and was coached by former boxer Thomas McDonagh.[3][13] She is a two-time England Boxing National Schools Champion, winning in 2016 and 2017.[14][15]

Personal life

Edwards has named her sporting heroes as Ronaldo and Marta in football, and Nicola Adams and Manny Pacquiao in boxing.[3]

References
  1. "Maria Edwards - England - WU17 EURO". UEFA.com.
  2. "England - M. Edwards - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  3. "Meet Champion Boxer and new Manchester United signing Maria Edwards". 2015-07-10.
  4. Oatway, Caroline. "Double delight for Academy aces". www.mancity.com.
  5. "Manchester City fightback to win FA Girls' Youth Cup". SheKicks. 14 April 2018.
  6. "Healy launches WSL Academy side". Twitter. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  7. "Full-Time : Division". full-time.thefa.com.
  8. "Valerenga v Man United Women friendly match report". www.manutd.com.
  9. "Man United Women v Arsenal Women match report 16 September 2019". www.manutd.com.
  10. Association, The Football. "England Women's U17s 2-0 Croatia". www.thefa.com.
  11. Association, The Football. "England 4-0 Bosnia: UEFA Women's U17 Championship qualifier". www.thefa.com.
  12. Association, The Football. "Belgium 1-4 England: UEFA Women's U17 Championship qualifier". www.thefa.com.
  13. "Video Feature: Maria Edwards Boxing Champion and Manchester City Player". British Boxers BBTV.
  14. "England Boxing National Schools Championships 2016". England Boxing.
  15. "England Boxing National Schools Championships 2017". England Boxing.


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