When Grace Geyoro was eight years old, she stepped onto the football pitch in her hometown of Orleáns, France. Around her was a squad full of boys. Grace was the first—and only—girl on the team.

A lot of people thought it was strange for Grace to play football. Even her mom, Angelique, said the game wasn’t suitable for girls. But Grace’s brother convinced their mom that Grace was not only good—she was great. Grace was so good that at 15, she started training at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), a pro football club. And in 2017, at 19 years old, Grace became a professional footballer at PSG.

By 2022, Grace was a favourite on the French national team. And in their 2022 Euro match against Italy, she wowed the crowd by becoming the first player to score a hat trick in the first half of a women’s Euro match! After Grace’s third goal, she formed her hands into a heart and pointed it toward her family’s seats. Angelique—Grace’s biggest fan—cheered the loudest of them all.

“Keep going. Always.”

— Grace Geyoro