Georgia Stanway: The Euro 2022 winner fulfilling her dream in Germany

Georgia Stanway has scored six goals in her past nine England appearances, including this extra-time winner against Spain in the quarter-finals at Euro 2022

"Just before I hit it, you can see that I kind of stepped to the side. I'd usually play the ball out to the wing in that situation, but for some reason nobody came towards me and, well, it was just the perfect opportunity to hit it."

Georgia Stanway's eyes briefly light up when she's asked about her thunderous extra-time winner for England against Spain in their Euro 2022 quarter-final in July.

Stanway started all six of the Lionesses' matches as they won the tournament - performing a key role in England's midfield alongside her former Manchester City team-mate Keira Walsh.

But less than two weeks before England's opening game, coach Sarina Wiegman was in a quandary. Stanway hadn't been selected regularly in central midfield for City and the Lionesses coach wasn't sure if she could accommodate the 23-year-old in her preferred position.

"We played a Euros warm-up game against the Netherlands and Sarina came up to me the day before and said she wasn't too sure where I would fit in," Stanway tells BBC Sport. "After that conversation, there was only one outcome for me: do everything I can to prove what I can offer."

Stanway made an impact off the bench against the Dutch, but it was in Switzerland for England's final warm-up game when she convinced Wiegman to start her in the Euros opener against Austria at Old Trafford six days later.

"In Switzerland I was able to play in midfield and, well, I had a really good game," Stanway says. "I knew that I'd left everything out there and it was a thank you to Sarina for trusting me. But if I'm honest, I think I just bring a different dynamic to that midfield."

'I plateaued at City'

Stanway has credited Wiegman with transforming England's mentality, shifting the mental focus away from the opponents and on to themselves.

"Sarina has instilled into us that in tournament football, we need to trust the process," she says. "With her, we concentrate so much on the next game, she would never let anyone look too far ahead. Honestly, it was only after the semi-final that we thought 'hang on, we could do this'."

Georgia Stanway faced some of her future Bayern team-mates in the Euros 2022 final against Germany, including Lina Magull

It's been a whirlwind few months for Stanway. She made the decision before the Euros to sign for Bayern Munich after things had turned sour at City.

"I was at City for seven, nearly eight years, from the age of 16 to 23," she says. "I'd played nearly 200 games, won seven trophies and left as the club's all-time leading goalscorer. But I felt like for the last 18 months I had plateaued.

"I was being asked to fill in different positions, like at left-back. And while I'm happy to do a job, I didn't feel like I was getting any better or going anywhere.

"They offered me a contract very, very late and it wasn't the way I wanted it to end. So I just questioned myself and thought: 'Well, if not now then when? When is the right time to go abroad? When is the right time to take the next step?'"

'I do the dirty work - and Bayern appreciate that'

Stanway says the German league suits her physical game

Her arrival is exciting for the Frauen Bundesliga, but it was always something of an inevitability for Stanway, who has long been fascinated by the German game and considers her combative style of play a perfect fit.

"Coming through the youth teams with England, the only team that regularly beat us was Germany - and that stood out to me," Stanway explains. "So I studied the men's and women's national teams closely, watching as many games as I could.

"Germany were the team that everybody was scared to play against and that fascinated me; I thought - why is that? I now know most of the girls and they're all soft and very lovely people, but at the same time, why were they perceived as having a hard shell? As hard to crack?

"It's because they play in a way that makes you not want to play against them, and I like it when people don't want to play against me. So it's a team - and a league - that appreciates the hard graft, the physicality, the robustness, but at the same time being able to match it with the tactical and the technical aspects. For me, that's pretty amazing.

"So when Bayern approached me, I knew they were right for me. I like to create catalyst moments by winning the ball back. They play nice football too but here I can do the dirty work. They really appreciate that side of my game and that really suits me."

'I want to show the player I can be'

Stanway had other offers but, in just over two months, has immersed herself in Bavarian life and has been rewarded with a new set of team-mates whose bond extends beyond the pitch.

"It's the culture and togetherness, it's a real family feel," she says. "They don't just sign good players, they sign good people.

"I'm here to find myself as a footballer but also to improve in life. By throwing yourself into a new culture, being rich in life and experience, the language, the food, the different environment, it's great and really eye-opening."

One of the most anticipated aspects of Stanway's arrival at Bayern is the understanding she could build with Lina Magull.

The Germany playmaker, one of several Bayern players to have faced Stanway in the Euros final, is an attacking livewire for Bayern - with the potential for the pair to become the pulse of the team.

"Obviously, I enjoy playing with Lina," Stanway says. "We both like to pass and keep the ball, share it and I think we bounce off each other in that way."

One of Bayern's key tests in the coming weeks is a Champions League meeting with last season's beaten finalists Barcelona at the Nou Camp on 24 November.

It will be a reunion for Stanway with her fellow Lionesses, Walsh and Lucy Bronze. All three were long-time team-mates at City, with Walsh and Bronze making the switch to Catalonia this summer.

"It will be great to see them in their colours," Stanway says. "It'll be strange with Keira - the only good thing is that I'll be a little deeper and she'll be a little deeper. Because if I was higher, I'm sure we'd have a few little moments of laughter in the game."

As well as the impact Wiegman has had on her, Stanway believes that signing for Bayern before the Euros influenced her performances at the tournament - and feels she's now in an environment that can nurture her talent further.

"I think the reason that I did so well at the Euros was because I'd already signed for Bayern - I was just free. Now I just want to show the player that I am, and the player I know I can be."

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