Handout
Liam Nugent with his grandson in Omagh
A family in Omagh are revelling in the success of their distant relative, Lioness star Chloe Kelly after she led England to victory over Spain in the Women’s Euro final.
After coming on in the first half, the Arsenal forward not only set up the equaliser but then went on to score the winning penalty against world champions Spain.
Chloe’s first cousin three times removed Liam Nugent, 79, watched every game she played at the Euros from his living room.
He told BBC News NI he was “very proud” of Chloe and he believes having “Omagh blood in her” has helped shape her success.
Family tree
“I’m trying to work that out myself,” Liam laughed when asked his exact relation to the England international.
“Chloe’s great grandfather Henry was my first cousin and her grandfather Brendan was my second cousin,” he told BBC News NI.
Chloe’s grandfather Brendan was originally from Gortrush Park in Omagh.
When his father Henry got a promotion, the family moved from the Nestle factory in Omagh to the outskirts of London.
Brendan used to visit Liam and his family in Omagh before he passed away but Chloe herself has never been.
“I’ve never met the wee girl to tell you the truth. I’d love to meet her.”
‘Very proud of her’
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Liam with his grandson Michael and son Mark after winning the double with local football team in west Cork
“I’m very proud of her. I’m delighted for her to tell you the truth.
“I think she’s a fabulous player, she makes a wild difference when she comes on there’s no doubt about it. That’s my opinion anyway but I’m probably a bit bias but I think she’s fabulous.
“I think she did brilliantly and she gave a great interview after.”
Liam said he couldn’t watch the screen during Kelly’s Euro winning penalty.
“I just closed my eyes and just prayed because she missed a penalty a couple of days before and I thought, please don’t miss it and God I heard the roar and opened my eyes and the ball was in the net. It was great.
“My son and my grandchildren think she’s fabulous and they would be big into football.”
Football appears to run through the family, with Chloe’s great grandfather Henry playing for one of the local Omagh teams in the 1930s and 40s.
“He played football here and was supposed to be very good,” Liam said.
He insisted that being from Omagh has “definitely” helped Chloe.
“She’s got the Omagh blood in her, we’re all great people down here you know.”
You can listen back to Liam’s pre-match interview on BBC Radio Ulster’s Sunday with Anna Curran.
Who is Chloe Kelly?
Reuters
Chloe Kelly scored the winning penalty in the Euro 2025 final shootout
Growing up as the youngest of seven siblings, with five brothers, her football education began in the five-a-side cages of London.
She made her debut for Arsenal in 2015, aged 17, before moving to Everton in 2016 and Manchester City in 2020.
After suffering a serious knee injury in May 2021, there were doubts over whether she would be fit enough to represent England in the Euro 2022 finals.
After making the squad, she shot to fame after scoring the extra-time winner against Germany in the final, securing the country’s first ever women’s major tournament victory.
Kelly was praised for empowering women, and embodying how the Lionesses are inspirations for current and future generations of girls.
On the pitch, she has provided game deciding contributions in all of England’s Euro 2025 knock-out matches – her crosses led to both goals against Sweden, she scored the winner versus Italy, and she assisted Russo’s equaliser in the final.
All of this was done in substitute appearances.
Off the pitch, Kelly is now the most followed Lioness on Instagram.
In January 2025, she signed for Arsenal on loan.
Her move was made permanent in July after Arsenal won the Women’s Champions League for a second time.
