Beth Mead says she's getting 'better each day' as she breaks Jimmy Greaves' England record
- Sean Fisher
- 26 June 2022
Beth Mead's two goals in England's 5-1 drubbing of the Netherlands saw her break a long-lasting record set by the legendary Jimmy Greaves.
The Lionesses continued their European Championship warm-up this week with a 5-1 win over the Netherlands.
The visitors scored first at Elland Road, but a bizarre goal from Lucy Bronze levelled the match before England scored four in a blistering second half performance.
Beth Mead scored twice, with her second coming in injury time. It was her 13th and 14th goal for her country since the start of the 2021/22 season, meaning she broke a 61-year record held by Jimmy Greaves for the most international goals scored in one season.
The Arsenal winger was delighted with her performance, but admitted post-match that she wasn't even aware of being close to the record.
Beth Mead puts England ahead just a 54 seconds after The Netherlands miss a penalty! 👀
— 90min (@90min_Football) June 24, 2022
The perfect start to the second half for the Lionesses! 👌 pic.twitter.com/9BGmcJwrKo
"There's a lot of talent in this team," said Mead.
"I wouldn't say I become complacent, but competition always makes you play better, it makes you compete, and I think this season I've had to compete for my position for club and country, and it's made me better as a player.
"I'm enjoying the challenge, it's making me better each day and I know I have to do every session to the best of my ability and try to bring that onto the pitch as well."
When asked about the record, Mead replied, "I wasn't aware of that until I was told when I got off the pitch.
With her two goals last night @bmeado9 has now set an England record for most goals in a season from August 1st to July 31st.
— Women's Football Talk (@WFTalks) June 25, 2022
14 goals Beth Mead and counting
(previous best) 13 goals Jimmy Greaves, 1960–61. #Lionesses
A record that stood for 60 years. pic.twitter.com/aRscxsOclM
"I'm pretty sure there's some big names up there, so yes, it's nice to have broken that record.
"For me, I don't know about these records, I'm not here to break them, I'm just here to play my best football and bring my best game for the team, and I did that."
England also recorded a 3-0 win against Belgium earlier this month as they prepare for this summer's European championships.
Their tournament begins on July 6 when they face Austria, before rounding off the group with games against Norway and Northern Ireland.
