By OkayGoal 
There are some players whose names are always tied to their national team. They are the ones who make a difference once they enter the pitch, but they are also important outside of it. A national team like Wales has its own legend who will be remembered for a long time–Jess Fishlock. She isn’t just a great player when it comes to showing up for her national team, she is also great on the club level. Seattle Reign FC is definitely lucky to have her. While Fishlock might not receive the attention she deserves, she is still the kind of player who can change the game in mere seconds. Here’s what you should know about Jess Fishlock.
The Beginning for Jess Fishlock
Like many players, Jess Fishlock’s passion for soccer started from a young age. This passion appeared at a soccer camp where everything changed. This camp was the one that made the midfielder realize that she wanted to play soccer. Once she reached seven years old, Fishlock was already training with Cardiff City Ladies. Immediately, her talent was clear, along with her drive–both on display today with Seattle.
Jess Fishlock Before Seattle Reign FC
While Jess Fishlock’s name has been associated with Seattle Reign since she first joined them, she also played for other clubs before making the move to the NWSL. In 2007, Fishlock moved to Bristol Academy. Her time there helped launch her career, as it led her to other opportunities. She then moved to the Netherlands in 2008 when she joined AZ Alkmaar. It was a new chapter in her journey. Playing there, Fishlock matured more as her talent only skyrocketed. She helped the team win the Eredivisie title. It was there that Fishlock showed the world that she is a quality midfielder who deserves to be watched.
Fishlock’s time in the Netherlands ended when she came back to Bristol Academy in 2011. A player as talented as Fishlock has no problem proving themselves in different places. No matter where you put her, she would leave an impact. So, her next move didn’t take her long as she joined Melbourne Victory in Australia. While there, the midfielder was one of the standout players that the league had. With her joining several clubs, it was clear that Jess Fishlock could adapt to different leagues and playing styles.
Jess Fishlock Heading to the NWSL
Jess Fishlock may have made several moves in her career, but the most important one was when she joined Seattle Reign FC in 2013. Since then, Fishlock became one of the club and the league’s legends. She showed how consistent she can be, and as the years passed, it became clear that she was a leader as well.
In 2021, she won the NWSL’s MVP Award. She scored five goals and had four assists during that season. The 38-year-old player is also one of the league’s most capped players. She has under her name over 15,000 minutes played in the NWSL. Fishlock added another award under her name as she won the NWSL Shield with Seattle Reign three times. She was also named to the Best XI team several times.
Playing for Other Teams
Despite playing for Seattle, Jess Fishlock managed to spend some time overseas as well. She used the off-season as an opportunity to go on loan to several clubs, where she kept improving. One of the clubs she joined was Glasgow City in Scotland, where she helped them keep their dominance going. A major step in her career was when she headed to Germany to join FFC Frankfurt. It was major because she won with the team the 2015 Women’s Champions League. This is something that every player dreams of achieving, and Fishlock did just that.
The midfielder’s loan spells continued when she joined OL Lyonnes. Fishlock’s joining France’s biggest club was evidence that she is a quality player who any team would want to have. With them, she won the Champions League. She then went back to Australia as she played for Melbourne City. What made this move unique was that Fishlock wasn’t just a player there, but she also took some coaching responsibilities. She helped lead the team to the 2017 Grand Final, and they won. It was then that she won the player of the match. She also led them to a second Grand Final. Her next loan was in the WSL, where she played for Reading. All these clubs show that a player such as Jess Fishlock isn’t afraid of facing new challenges all over the world. In fact, she chases these challenges.
Being Wales’ Legend
Jess Fishlock made history on the club level, and she did the same with Wales. We can easily say that today, she is the best player that Wales has ever had. Fishlock’s time with Wales started when she was just 16 as she joined the under-19 team. Her senior debut then came in 2006. From her beginnings with the national team, it was clear that she had everything they had dreamed of. She became their captain in 2012, and this wasn’t the only great memory that she might have today. Fishlock also achieved a record that no Welsh player, male or female, had managed to achieve. In 2017, she earned her 100th International cap. It was then that she was already part of the nation’s history books.
The talented midfielder continued writing history for Wales. In April 2024, Fishlock surpassed 150 appearances for her country. This made her the team’s most capped player ever. In the same year, Fishlock passed Helen Ward and became Wales’ all-time leading goalscorer. Her goals now are over 47, which isn’t something easy to achieve when you play as a midfielder, but she managed to do it. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that she has been named Welsh Footballer of the Year five times.
“You don’t play for this long unless it means so much to you. I don’t think I can put into words how much playing for Wales means to me,” Fishlock said, according to BBC. You can clearly see that it means everything to her.
Leading Wales to the Euro
Jess Fishlock might have a lot of great moments with Wales, but perhaps the greatest one was when she was part of the team that led the nation to the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euro. This was Wales’ first-ever major international tournament. They didn’t achieve what they might have hoped for, but they didn’t go home empty-handed. Just like she played a role in leading Wales to this major tournament, she also scored their first goal there. It is a historic one. At 38 years and 176 days old, Fishlock became the oldest goalscorer in UEFA Women’s Euro history. She is still breaking records today. This goal was a perfect milestone in her career. It showed how hard she worked to reach this level.
Fishlock would always remember qualifying for the Euro. She told the BBC about what it meant to her to finally reach a major tournament. “Finally, this has happened. And there was relief, which I wasn’t expecting. Maybe I just hadn’t realised how kind of big it had been weighing on me for all these years until that moment. And so there was obviously joy and euphoria, but there was also relief for me specifically. I can’t believe that we have done it,” she said.
Even people close to Fishlock realize what it meant to her that she led Wales to the Euro. Her wife and former teammate, Tziarra King, told The Guardian, “Jess has worked her whole life for this; Euro 2025 means everything to her.”
Jess Fishlock Off The Pitch
Jess Fishlock’s career has had a lot of important moments when it comes to soccer and being on the pitch. At the same time, she has achievements off the pitch as well. As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, Fishlock helped the community and has been an advocate for them. Her services to women’s soccer and the community made her be appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2018. She deserved this award.
The midfielder also shared how her time at school was rough due to bullying, but she didn’t let this defeat her. It only helped her speak up for inclusivity and equality. She is a great LGBTQ+ role model when it comes to sports.
“I am passionate about increasing the visibility of LGBT role models in football and using my position to inspire others. It’s important for everyone to be ok with who they are, and that they feel safe within themselves. Since I’ve got to that point I’ve been the best version of myself and I want others to feel the same,” she told Stonewall.
Always A Legend
Jess Fishlock will always be a legend. Her career includes numerous records and titles that she won while playing in different countries. In her late thirties, Fishlock will be leaving behind her a legacy that many players dream of. She is a great example of giving your all to your country because she did just that with Wales. Fishlock didn’t just contribute to Wales’ progress, but to women’s soccer as a sport. She is a great example that women’s soccer players can keep performing at a high level no matter how old they are. Jess Fishlock’s dedication and passion are enough reasons to make people applaud her. She has a career that can only be described as legendary.
Image via @fawales
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