Matildas football star Ellie Carpenter has transferred to Chelsea in a four year deal, meaning she will face off against her new wife, Daniëlle van de Donk, in the WSL next season.
Australian football star Ellie Carpenter has joined Women’s Super League champions Chelsea in a four year deal after playing with Lyon for five years.
The move reunites Carpenter, who also plays for the Matildas (Australia’s national team), with her former Lyon manager Sonia Bompastor and Matildas teammates Sam Kerr – but means that she will face off against her newly-wedded wife in the upcoming WSL season.
Daniëlle van de Donk, who married Carpenter in an extravagant French wedding in June, recently joined the London City Lionesses, who are set to play Chelsea.
“I’m really excited about this new challenge; it’s a new adventure. It feels like the right move for me, and I can’t wait to get started and give my all for this club,” Carpenter, a defender with two Champions League trophies and five domestic league titles, said.
‘I’m very proud to join such a big club, one of the biggest in women’s football. Chelsea have enjoyed so much success in England, and I’m delighted to now be a part of it. I want to learn from the girls here and push myself, and I think this is the best place for me to grow as a footballer and be the best version of Ellie.”
Who is Ellie Carpenter’s partner, Daniëlle van de Donk?
Ellie Carpenter married her partner, Dutch footballer Daniëlle van de Donk, in a ceremony in France in June. The pair shared news of their engagement on New Year’s Day, 2024.
Van de Donk plays as a midfielder for the London City Lionesses, and the Netherlands national team (nicknamed ‘Oranje’, which translated to ‘Orange’).
She has been named in the Netherlands squad for this summer’s Women’s Euros.
The pair married each other at the Chateau Hermitage de Combas in Servian, southern France, with Carpenter sharing a picture of the nuptials on Instagram and the caption: “I choose you. I will always choose you.”
The LGBTQ+ stars in the 2025 England Euros squad include Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, Lauren Hemp, Beth Mead, Keira Walsh and Leah Williamson.
Manager Sarina Wiegman previously told PinkNews that she was “excited to see what we are capable of this summer”.
England Lioness Beth Mead will also face off against her Dutch girlfriend Vivianne Miedema at the Women’s Euros – the latter of whom plays on the same team as van de Donk.
Live coverage of the Euros is being shared by BBC and ITV in the UK.
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