Steph Houghton

Steph Houghton, born Stephanie Jayne Houghton on 23 April 1988 and now Stephanie Jayne Darby, is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back and was widely regarded as one of the best in the world in her position. She began at Sunderland in her native North East of England, where she first broke through as a striker before dropping back into midfield and later defence, then moved to Leeds Carnegie in 2007 and won the FA Women's Premier League Cup. In 2010 she joined Arsenal, winning the FA WSL twice, the FA Women's Cup twice and the FA WSL Cup three times. She made her England debut in 2007, went on to play over 100 times for the national team and was made captain in January 2014, leading England at two World Cups and a Women's Euro and taking bronze at the 2015 World Cup. She also played for Great Britain at the 2012 and 2020 Summer Olympics, scoring three goals in four games in 2012. She was appointed MBE in 2016 and received the Freedom of the City of Sunderland in 2023.