Nikita Parris

Nikita Josephine Parris (born 10 March 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club London City Lionesses and the England national team. She previously played for Division 1 club Olympique Lyonnais, Manchester City, Everton, Arsenal, Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion.

From 2018 to 2020, Parris held the record as all-time leading scorer in the Women's Super League. With Olympique Lyonnais, Parris has won the 2019–20 Champions League, the 2020 Coupe de France (Women's French Cup), the 2019 Trophée des Championnes, and the 2019 International Champions Cup. With Manchester City, she won the 2016 league title, the 2016 and 2018–19 League Cup as well as the 2016–17 and 2018–19 FA Cup.

Parris represented England from under-17 to under-23 youth levels, becoming a 2013 U-19 Championship runner-up with the under-19 team. She made her senior international debut in Euro 2017 qualifying, helping the national team reach the semi-finals of the Euro 2017, as well as a fourth-place finish at the 2019 World Cup. Her six goals during World Cup qualification ranked first within UEFA nations and secured England's place at the top tournament. She helped England win its first-ever SheBelieves Cup in 2019 and Arnold Clark Cup in 2022, as well as win the Euro 2022.

Parris was named the FWA Women's Footballer of the Year in 2019. She was included in The Guardian's list of The 100 Best Female Footballers In The World in 2018 and 2019.

I always said to my mum, ‘I’m going to play football for a living’ and she was like ‘but girls don’t play football. There’s no team like the men. There’s no pathway.’ And I used to say, ‘But there will be.'

Born in Toxteth, an inner city area of Liverpool, Parris was raised with her twin sister and two brothers by her mother, Jo, who worked three jobs to support the family.

Parris attended St. Patrick's Primary School in Liverpool where she trained with the athletic team and dreamed of playing like Arsenal and Scottish international player Julie Fleeting. At age six, she began playing football with boys on a grass border near her home and continued playing with boys until she was sixteen. Every time her mother looked out, she would see Parris slide tackling the boys or them slide tackling her.

As a youth, Parris started her own football team: "I started a football team myself at the age of eleven because I wanted to have a women’s team in the local community. So, I gathered all my friends and family and everyone I knew... and we were successful. We won the league." Parris' sister and two cousins also played in the team, which was called Kingsley United. As part of the "Where Greatness Is Made" campaign, a plaque honouring Parris was installed at the club in 2022.