LIANNE SANDERSON
Pro soccer player Lianne Sanderson is poised to be “one of the breakout stars” of the Women´s World Cup this summer, according to the British newspaper The Independent. With her dynamic playing style and vertical shock of bleached hair, Sanderson is one of the most recognizable players on England´s national team, which is competing in Canada for the title. Sanderson has been a lightning rod for attention since her professional debut in the 2003-2004 season, playing for the British football club Arsenal. Her high point with the club came in the 2007-2008 season, when she scored the fifth and final goal against Leeds United to win the national championship. She left the team after that season to play for Chelsea in the U.K., Philadelphia Independence, Espanyol in Spain, D.C. United Women and Boston Breakers before returning to Arsenal in 2014. While playing for the Boston Breakers, Sanderson and her then-partner were profiled in The Boston Globe for being the only same-sex couple to play on the same team in any American sport. “It is not about waving a gay flag,” Sanderson told The Independent earlier this year. “It is about being a role model. I get messages and letters from kids and parents on a daily basis saying, ´Thank you for being who you are.´” -KL
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