Katie Zelem

Early career

Zelem started playing football when she was six. At the age of eight, she joined Manchester United Girls' Centre of Excellence. Her youth coach Emma Fletcher said Zelem showed a great attitude and appetite for learning and understanding the game.

Liverpool

With no professional setup at United, Zelem joined Liverpool in 2013. She was in the Liverpool squad for the first time on 3 August 2013 when Liverpool lost 3–0 to Arsenal, however, she did not play. On 11 April 2014, Zelem suffered a broken collarbone, while on international duty for England under-19, and missed the start of the 2014 FA WSL season. After recovering from injury, she made her senior team debut on 29 June 2014, before being substituted for Nina Frausing-Pedersen in the 58th minute, in a 1–0 defeat against Arsenal in the FA WSL. A week later, Zelem scored her first senior goals in a 7–1 win against Durham in the Continental Cup. She scored two headers, both assisted by Lucy Bronze. On 12 October 2014, Zelem was an unused substitute in Liverpool's win against Bristol City, as they retained the FA WSL title after a dramatic final day of the season. In November 2014, Zelem was nominated by The FA for the WSL Development Player of the Year, alongside Carla Humphrey and Natasha Baptiste. In the same month, Zelem was named Liverpool's Young Player of the Year. Liverpool coach Matt Beard praised Zelem, likening her to Frank Lampard and stating she has great career in the future. In…

Youth

Zelem made her youth debut for England for the under-15s when she played against Netherlands in March 2010. In August 2013, Zelem was part of the England under-19 team who finished as runners-up to France at the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship in Wales. In February 2014, Zelem was named in the England under-19 squad for the 2014 La Manga Tournament in March. In August, she represented England under-20 at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Canada. Coached by Mo Marley, Zelem was used as the playmaker of England's midfield. After draws with South Korea and Mexico, England failed to progress to the knock-out stage after being defeated by eventual finalists Nigeria 2–1 in the final group game. In July 2015, Zelem was named in the England under-19 squad for the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship in Israel. England finished bottom of group B and did not progress.

Senior

After her youth career, Zelem was not called into the senior squad for several years, but impressed Phil Neville after being named captain of Manchester United, receiving her first call into senior training in September 2020. Part of a 30-player training camp at St George's Park, she was later forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. Having been an unused substitute in three previous 2023 World Cup qualifying matches under new manager Sarina Wiegman, Zelem made her England debut on 30 November 2021 as a 71st-minute substitute during an England-record 20–0 win against…

Speaking in 2014, Martha Harris, Zelem's best friend and Liverpool teammate, rated Zelem as "a very cheeky player [who is] clever on the pitch but is also a risk taker". She began her career as a winger, developing this under the Italian style while playing for Juventus to fit more into a central role when returning to Manchester. She is described as an attacking midfielder with two good feet, who can pick a pass out and finish as well. In the England squad, Zelem has instead been utilised as a defensive midfielder.

Born in Failsworth, Zelem is the daughter of former Macclesfield goalkeeper Alan Zelem, whose twin brother is former professional footballer Peter Zelem. She was educated at The Blue Coat School, Oldham. Zelem greatly admired Fara Williams, who became her role model in developing the game as a midfielder. Zelem considered herself fortunate that she can learn and play alongside a hard-working figure like Williams. On 12 July 2023, Zelem was elected to the PFA Players' Board, taking over from Manchester City's Steph Houghton, who stepped down.