Aston Villa star ‘really proud’ to be awarded the MBE by King Charles III
Aston Villa captain Rachel Daly has spoken of her pride after being awarded the MBE by King Charles III.
Daly received the royal distinction for her contribution to women’s football and becomes one of only a handful of players who’ve been awarded the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, which she collected at Windsor Castle this week.
The Villa skipper shared her feelings about the award on Instagram, saying: “A really proud day for me and my family It’s an absolute honour to receive my MBE.”
Daily joined Villa from Houston Dash in 2022 and made an immediate impact, winning the Women’s Super League golden boot thanks to 22 goals and five assists in her first season back in England.
Villa finish fifth, four places higher than they achieved in the previous season. She was named the WSL Player of the Season in 2022/23 and equalled Dutch star Vivianne Miedema’s record goal tally for a single WSL season.
It hasn’t been such smooth sailing for Villa in the last couple of seasons but eight Daly goals in each of the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns helped them stabilise in mid-table as they work hard to established themselves as a WSL outfit.
A legend of the Lionesses
Harrogate-born Daly arrived in Birmingham as a hugely admired member of England’s national team. She was a big contributor as the Lionesses won the European Championship on home soil in 2022 and appeared in every England match at the World Cup in 2023.
England reached the final but were beaten by Spain, who they overcame without Daly in the final of the European Championship in Switzerland in 2025, retaining their title under manager Sarina Wiegman. It was Wiegman’s third consecutive European title.
Daly played a number of her 84 international matches as a full-back despite naturally being a much more attacking player. She retired from Lionesses duty in April 2024 with 16 senior international goals to her name.
The Villa captain has played more than 100 matches in the Women’s Super League and joins the limited ranks of female footballers to have been awarded the MBE.
Previous recipients of the royal honour include former Lionesses teammates Lucy Bronze, Mary Earps, Lauren Hemp, Beth Mead and Ellen White, who helped lead England to continental honours at Wembley in 2022. England defenders Millie Bright and Leah Williamson both hold the OBE.
Other female players with the MBE include Wales’ Loren Dykes and Kim Little of Scotland.
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