To speak of Rose Lavelle is to speak of a living legend of women’s football in the United States. And her recent nomination for the 2026 Ballon d'Or invites us to recall a little-known story about her early life.

As a young girl growing up in Cincinnati, the current Gotham FC player in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) spent her childhood with a ball at her feet.

In 2003, aged just 8, Rose dressed up as Mia Hamm – the legendary two-time world champion and pioneer who transformed women’s sport in the United States – for a school project.

In that Year 3 notebook, Lavelle wrote with conviction that one day she would wear the national team’s shirt, just like her heroine.

However, to fulfil that childhood prophecy, she first had to endure a fateful match that changed her mindset forever and forced her to take a hard look at herself.

A bitter start with the national team

After astonishing everyone with her talent in the youth ranks, the reality of professional football hit Lavelle without warning.

In March 2017, during the SheBelieves Cup, a young Lavelle was playing just her second match for the United States national team in a heavy 3–0 defeat to France.

Her performance on the pitch was so disappointing that manager Jill Ellis took her off at half-time.

“I was substituted because I played terribly. I remember thinking: ‘Wow, this is the top level. I’ve got to improve over the next two years if I want to compete for a place in this team’,” Rose herself said.

Far from crushing her, that reality check became the turning point that transformed her career.

Lavelle realised that natural talent wasn’t enough at the highest level and drew up a two-year training plan focused on self-criticism and physical and tactical development.

The perfect rematch in Lyon

The reward for that process of maturation came two years later on the ideal stage: the 2019 World Cup in France.

Having established herself at the Washington Spirit, her dazzling performances secured her a place in Jill Ellis’s final squad.

At 24, the girl from Cincinnati was no longer just a promising talent. She arrived at that World Cup as one of the team’s best players.

And such was her redemption that, in the 69th minute of the final against the Netherlands, she took on the opposition defence and scored an unforgettable left-footed curler to seal a 2-0 victory and lift the World Cup trophy.

That stunning goal cemented her place amongst the elite and confirmed that the painful lessons of 2017 had paid off.

“It’s incredible to have won a World Cup with people I’ve admired since I was a little girl. I can’t put it into words. It’s amazing,” recalled Lavelle.

The living legend who dominates the present

As time went by, that little girl who used to dress up as Mia Hamm not only fulfilled her own prophecy but became a true legend of American football.

Today, aged 31 and firmly established as Gotham FC’s star player in the NWSL, Lavelle continues to display that unique blend of elegance and unpredictability every weekend.

Indeed, with Lavelle leading the way, the New York side were crowned champions of the latest edition of the US league.

And it is precisely this sustained presence at the very top of world football that has earned her a nomination for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.