The Lionesses' real-life Barbie! Chloe Kelly is transformed into

Lionesses hero Chloe Kelly has been transformed into a Barbie doll to celebrate International Women’s Day.

The annual date is this Sunday, March 8, and Kelly, who played a starring role as England retained their Euros crown in the summer, has become the first England footballer to receive the honour in celebration.

The Barbie is billed as a one-of-a-kind doll – part of the Role Model collection – made to look like Kelly, and is seen wearing the kit England wore as they claimed glory in Switzerland.

Barbie have announced that their collection is made up of a mixture of sportspeople, scientists, adventurers and artists. The likes of tennis icon Serena Williams and cricket star Smriti Mandhana are also included.

Upon being made into the toy, Kelly said: ‘To have my own one-of-a-kind Barbie doll is something I’m incredibly proud of. Growing up, I dreamed about winning trophies and big moments in football, but I never imagined a different kind of milestone like this.

‘I hope it shows young girls that they can grow up playing with Barbie dolls and with footballs, and that they don’t have to choose just one version of who they want to be. You can love it all.’

Lionesses star Chloe Kelly has been transformed into a Barbie doll to mark International Women’s Day

Kelly, whose doll is wearing her Euro 2025-winning kit, said: ‘I hope it shows young girls that they can grow up playing with Barbie dolls and with footballs’

Williams, meanwhile, said: ‘I have always drawn inspiration from the powerful women in my life – from my mum, sisters, and daughters to the dolls in my toy box growing up,’

‘Now, I’m thrilled to be honored alongside this incredible group of female changemakers as part of the Barbie Dream Team. Just like so many women have empowered me to turn my fear into courage and doubt into confidence, I hope we can do the same by championing girls everywhere to pick up a racquet, become an entrepreneur, or do whatever ignites their passion and brings their dreams to life.’

Barbie’s ‘dream team’ from left-right: Kelly, Helene Fischer, Kellie Gerardi, Zoja Skubis, Serena Williams, Smriti Mandhana, Stephanie Gilmore and Regina Sirvent Alvarado

BARBIE’S IWD ‘DREAM TEAM’

Serena Williams (United States): Tennis Legend with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, entrepreneur, and global icon.

Kellie Gerardi (United States): Research astronaut and payload specialist.

Regina Sirvent Alvarado (Mexico): Professional race car driver and one of the most prominent figures in motorsport in Mexico.

Chloe Kelly (United Kingdom): Professional footballer and a defining face of modern women’s football, celebrated for her fearless attacking style and composure in the biggest moments, inspiring a new generation of girls to dream big and lead with confidence.

Helene Fischer (Germany): One of Germany’s most famous and influential contemporary pop artists.

Zoja Skubis (Poland): Youngest Polish woman to summit Manaslu (8,163 m) and Mount Everest (8,849 m) at just 19 years old.

Stephanie Gilmore (Australia): Stephanie Gilmore is an Australian professional surfer and the first woman to achieve eight World Surf League (WSL) World Championship Titles.

Smriti Mandhana (India): The first Indian woman cricketer to score a century in all three formats (T20, Test and ODI).

It comes on the back of a memorable 2025 that saw midfielder Kelly play a starring role throughout the Euros for her country.

Kelly embraced a substitute role, first coming off the bench to score an extra time winner against Italy in the semi-final. Then, in the final, she set up Alessia Russo to score, and bagged the winning penalty in the shootout against Spain.

Those events came three years on from when she scored the winner in the Euro 2022 final victory over Germany at Wembley.

She also signed for Arsenal at club level, winning the Champions League last season.