Lionesses welcome Kiera Walsh back into the fold ahead of important Colombia game

When Kiera Walsh left the field on a stretcher in England's 1-0 win over England in their group-stage clash, it looked to be a devastating blow for both her and her England teammates. Everyone feared the worst for the Barcelona midfielder, with an ACL tear.

Whilst England fans everywhere were panicking about Walsh's injury, the Lioness knew fairly quickly she hand't injured her ACL, telling BBC Sport, "I wasn't too worried about my ACL - obviously everyone else was in the media - but straight away I knew it wasn't. It was just a different pain for me."

Walsh barely missed any time after her injury and was back in the starting XI for England's round of 16 game against Nigeria, only missing England's final group match against China.

England didn't put out their best showing in their round of 16 game, coming up against a motivated Nigerian team that was able to match England almost everywhere on the pitch and only scraping through on penalties. The Lionesses game through via penalty shootout and are now set to face Colombia in the quarter-finals.

Lauren James' stamp and subsequent red card against Nigeria is a huge blow for England as they will need to replace one of the players of the tournament. But one area they know they will be solid in is central midfield as Kiera Walsh was able to get minutes back in her legs and get back into the tournament.

For England, the road to the World Cup Final is looking manageable but certainly not easy. They are comfortable favourites against Colombia and then will meet either the hosts, Australia, or France, who are growing into a formidable force in the Women's game.

As one of the best players in the world, Walsh will be a key cog in England's chances to win the tournament from here. As the most expensive woman in football history, Walsh is already a legend of her game, let's take a look at how she got here.

From under-7 onwards, Walsh was playing organised competitive football. She started her playing career at Pearson Juniors before moving to Samba Stars, playing in the boy's teams until the age of 11. She joined the Blackburn Rovers academy as a teenager once her time in boys football came to an end. From there she joined the Manchester City academy and impressed immediately.

During her time at City, Walsh would time and again show her class, helping the Cityzens go unbeaten en route to their first Women's Super League title. This would draw the attention of the biggest team in women's football, as she eventually signed for Barcelona Femení for £400,000, a record in women's football.

In her first club in Catalonia, Walsh’s Barcelona side would complete the double, winning the Primera División Femenina de Fútbol and the UEFA Women's Champions League. She is a key cog in a Barcelona side stacked with world-class players. She was also an important member of the England squad that took home the European Championship title in 2022.