A little girl whose celebrations after the Lionesses are the… Euro 2022 finale went viral and says she wants to follow in their footsteps to become a footballer.
Schoolgirl Tess Dolan, eight, was out partying as she celebrated the historic win of the England Women’s Tournament.
The images of the girl, from Wakefield, West Yorks, in absolute rapture were captured on BBC images and broadcast live to the nation.
Tess wore a full England kit for the Bramall Lane collision in Sheffield and was singled out by the cameraman as she performed the Neil Diamond anthem.
She told the BBC this morning: ‘I thought, when I’m older I want to be a footballer.
“I watched them celebrate and thought about how I was going to celebrate.
Tess Dolan, 8, has become an internet sensation after being filmed dancing at the England women’s match in Sheffield last night
Schoolgirl Tess, eight, went viral after her celebrations went live to the nation on the BBC
Young English fan Tess, 8, spotted frantic at Sweet Caroline’s European Championship had no idea she was being filmed: ‘It was crazy’
“Normally they look at the big screen and, you see, I’m on television, but didn’t know I was being filmed!”
Ian Wright also appeared on the show and said her celebration would go down in history.
He commented: “When I saw Tess celebrating yesterday, I thought, those scenes are iconic scenes.
“The girls, when they see that, are inspired by it. When they were younger, they couldn’t have the dream you have now.’
Tess Dolan in her Scotton Scorchers football kit where she currently plays youth football
Tess Dolan before the England v Sweden match where she herself became famous during the celebration
England players celebrate after team-mate Fran Kirby scores the fourth goal of the match during the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 semi-final at Bramall Lane
He continued: ‘I just want to say that when you see the girls playing, do you think I could ever do that? Does it make you feel that way?’
Tess said, “Yeah, sure.”
Tess, from Knaresborough, North Yorks., was one of 28,000 frenzied fans in Bramhall Lane to cheer England to victory on Tuesday night.
But despite a dominant performance on the pitch – including a brutal 68-minute heel by her favorite player Alessio Russo – Tess was the real star of the show.
When England’s gaffer Wiegman conducted her post-match interview with a TV reporter, cameras flashed to the crowd, showing Tess’ now iconic dance moves.
Within minutes, her mother Sam Dolan’s phone went “crazy” from friends who had seen the clip on TV and on social media, where it quickly went viral.
Such was the popularity of the clip, she appeared on breakfast TV this morning (Wednesday) where she was interviewed by England and Arsenal legend Ian Wright.
Tess said: ‘It was the best football game I’ve been to so far.
‘It was amazing. I didn’t know I was on TV until my mom got a lot of text messages from people. I was just dancing and having fun.
“I was singing Sweet Caroline and then my mom started getting messages.
“It’s really weird being on TV, but it feels great.”
The Lionesses won 4-0 to face either Germany or France in Sunday’s Wembley final as they tried to win a first-ever European Championship title.
Manchester United forward Alessia Russo scored England’s third goal, putting her heel through the legs of two Swedish players into the net.
England had a shaky start in the semi-final when Mead turned sharply into the penalty area and scored after 34 minutes.
They doubled their lead with a header from Lucy Bronze not long after the restart and Russo’s daring effort was followed by Fran Kirby’s chip from Swedish keeper Hedvig Lindahl.