Laura Blindkilde Brown has insisted that her centre midfield-partner Yui Hasegawa ‘should be in the Ballon d’Or conversation’.
Blindkilde Brown’s comments come ahead of Manchester City‘s triumphant return to the European stage as English champions this week. Their return to the competition will be marked by a match up with the German champions, Bayern Munich in the Manchester club’s first league stage encounter.
Ahead of the new UEFA Women’s Champions League season, Blinkilde Brown sat down with The Halfway Line to talk her England her prospects, her hunger to prove herself and her ‘world class’ team mate, Yui Hasegawa.
‘I could talk about Yui for ages’ beams Blindkilde Brown
Ahead of last season, reports suggested head coach Andrée Jeglertz wanted Blindkilde Brown to gain experience away from the club on loan. Although the move never materialised, she used the setback as motivation.
“It was almost disappointing, because I wanted to make my mark at City,” she said. “But it just made me even hungrier to prove myself when I got my opportunities.
“I was able to do that, and hopefully I can do more of the same this season.”
The midfielder started 18 Women’s Super League matches as City secured the league title and completed the domestic double, rewarding the club’s decision to keep her in the squad.
Despite still being only 22, Blindkilde Brown believes playing alongside experienced midfielders such as Yui Hasegawa has accelerated her development.
“I could talk about Yui for ages,” she said with a smile. “She’s a world-class player and I learn so much from her every day in training.
“I always say she deserves to be in the Ballon d’Or conversation. She’s one of the best midfielders in the world, and having that competition is only a good thing.
“It pushes everyone to be better. Even in training it’s always competitive. With Champions League football, we’re going to have more games and more rotation, so it’s really important that we all gel together.”
Blindkilde Brown’s focus is on ‘Manchester City first’
An England midfielder, Laura Blindkilde Brown has asserted that her focus remains firmly on Manchester City rather than cementing her place in the Lionesses squad. Blindkilde Brown made her England debut in a 1-0 victory over Switzerland in December 2024, almost a year after joining Manchester City from Aston Villa.
The 22-year-old says she is not thinking about earning a place in Sarina Wiegman’s 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup squad for the tournament in Brazil, instead she is concentrating on helping City on both the domestic and European fronts,
“I try to focus on Manchester City first,” she said. “How I play for the club is what gets me picked for England in the first place.
“As long as I’m playing well for City and improving here, then the national team will take care of itself.”
Jeglertz’s charges will face their first European test of the new campaign when City visit Bayern Munich tonight at 17:45pm GMT on the opening night of the UWCL.
