Women's Euro 2022 - How France’s Kenza Dali is making comebacks fashionable

In 2017, Kenza Dali was faced with the worst possible scenario for a professional player.

Her football career was over.

Three doctors told her that the major knee injury she’d sustained during qualification for the 2017 UEFA Women's European Championships was too complicated to fix, with another doctor advising the French international that her playing days were behind her.

"My knee was completely done," Dali told 90min.

“I had a doctor telling me it was over, the high level for me was over.”

Despite an early retirement staring her in the face, the now 30 year-old decided she wasn’t quite ready to call it a day.

“When it’s over, it will be my decision, not someone else's,” she said.

“For me, even when I was told my knee was screwed up, I thought no. I feel that I can still do something.”

And it’s that resilience that means she’s back representing France at the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 in England, her first major tournament since 2015.

Dali: From Lyon to Liverpool

Dali’s career started off in her native France at women’s football giants Lyon.

The attacking midfielder then spent five years at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) where she netted 36 goals in 89 appearances and later in 2019, found herself crossing the channel to England’s West Ham.

“Everyone talks about England when you’re a football fan, you can’t not be an English football fan,” she told 90min.

After two years with West Ham, Dali made the move north to Merseyside and signed for Everton.

“This is why I chose [to move to] England, I wanted to feel the atmosphere,” she explained.

“I’m living in Liverpool, I’m seeing everyday how passionate people are about this sport. The French always talk about Anfield, now I live ten minutes from Anfield.”

Down but not out due to injury

Coming back from a near career-ending injury is no easy feat.

When Dali faced her setback in 2017, she turned to the words of a fellow sports star for encouragement.

“If you quit once, it becomes a habit. Never quit!”

“My [favourite] quote is from Michael Jordan and, for me, it makes a lot of sense in a sporting career,” she told West Ham.

“Giving up can’t be an option. Take it off the table. It’s not the way to think about things. Everyone has bad moments. Nothing is easy. But you can come back from big difficulties.”

The French-Algerian midfielder had to rely on those words once again in 2019 when she missed the FIFA Women’s World Cup on her home turf due to another injury.

“Oh it’s such a weird story. I dropped an iron on my toes," she revealed.

Three years on from that tournament, Dali is able to see the funny side of her ordeal. But back in 2019, the prospect of missing another major competition was in her words, a “devastating” one to take.

Away from the pitch, the 30 year-old has faced several traumatic challenges. After losing her brother when he was just 21, Dali’s mother was then diagnosed with cancer.

Any time spent away from football would be used to travel home, to visit and care for her mother as she successfully fought the disease.

French flair on and off the field

The French are often known for influencing the world of fashion, and Dali is no different.

From modeling magazine front covers to building her impressive trainer collection, the Everton midfielder is no stranger to experimenting with her style.

And style is what she brings to the pitch as well.

In an interview with Pressing Matters, Dali expressed her desire to play ‘the French way’ - maximum possession, quick passing and as little counter attack as possible.

“If I have a coach that says ‘look, this season we aren’t going to have much possession, we’re going to counter-attack’, then no, I’m out,” she said.

Indicating her struggles at West Ham, the midfielder explained how her former London club would defend for 80% of the game. Having grown up at Lyon - a club known for keeping the ball well - this new style was foreign to her ways.

“I can defend, it’s not a problem, it’s a part of the game, but I can’t start the game and only have 20% possession. I just hate it. I need to have the ball, I play football to have the ball.”

Eyes on the prize at Women's Euro 2022

With Wembley already in her sights, the French midfielder is thrilled at the opportunity to play a major tournament on British soil.

“I’m so glad I’m going to play a competition in a country which is my second home now,” she told 90min.

And separate from her own experience, she’s hoping to witness an entire generation of young girls discover new role models.

“When you have a big competition in any country, you have a new audience watching and new people discovering the port,” Dali said to Sportsbeat

"It's so important for the young generation to have role models - we didn't."

"I was a big fan of Ronaldinho and he wasn't a woman! Now younger people have a picture and I hope it's going to inspire lots of little girls."

Although her sights are set on European victory, Dali knows that this year's competition will be no simple task.

Hailing Spain, England, Germany, and her native France all as favourites, she even knows which players would make her dream European midfield if she had her pick of the bunch.

“I played with [Shirley Cruz] in PSG and I have never played with a better midfielder,” she said.

“I’ll put Alexia [Putellas] – of course, this is the popular choice but she’s great.”

She followed with England’s Ella Toone and Fran Kirby whilst also praising Italy’s Aurora Galli.

A star-studded line-up for sure.

With her birthday conveniently falling on July 31st, the date of this year's Wembley stadium final, could this be the year she finally gets a taste of European glory with France?