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01
Aug 2022
'That was for you' - Harrogate Lioness's tribute to late dad
Harrogate football star Rachel Daly has paid tribute to her late father after winning the European Championship final at Wembley.
The England player posted a picture of Martyn Daly on her Instagram account with the caption "That was for you" after the 2-1 victory over Germany last night.
Mr Daly had been a huge influence on and supporter of his daughter's career until his death last September.
Speaking before an England warm-up game at Elland Road in June, she told the matchday programme his loss had affected her approach to the sport they both loved:
In response to her post on Instagram, fans and friends told her he would be "so proud" of what she had achieved with the Lionesses.
Mr Daly lived in Harrogate and was himself a semi-professional footballer, playing for Harrogate Town and Knaresborough Town in the 1980s and 1990s.
Read more:
- Harrogate footballer’s journey from Killinghall Nomads to Tokyo Olympics
- 'Play like the star you are': Harrogate gets behind Rachel Daly ahead of Euro final
- 'I had not seen a better footballer': Rachel Daly's former coach on her rise with England
Last summer, as the team prepared to compete at the 2020 Olympics, Mr Daly spoke to the Stray Ferret about his pride in his daughter, not just because of her achievements but also the role model she was to other young women and girls.
He added:
This morning, Daly and her teammates were heading to Trafalgar Square for a victory parade, celebrating the first tournament win for any England football team since 1996.
Daly posted a photo of herself on Twitter with her winner's medal.
https://twitter.com/RachelDaly3/status/1554035521185353730
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