With a sense of togetherness, Williams talks of “our game” and addresses her predecessors with weighty respect. She sounds immensely proud of being “lucky enough to play with some older players that were coming to the end of their careers” and credits them for teaching her “the value of having to be a footballer and having to work hard to achieve things”.

Although there’s still much to do in giving this sport the recognition it deserves, Williams acknowledges it was more difficult for those before her and pays tribute to those who paved the way, saying, “It was very hard back then.

“They were the players that helped put our game in the position that it’s in now and we’re lucky to have those players to have grafted without the support that we have today.”

Graft couldn’t be a more appropriate word when it comes to female footballers – most of whom are paid poorly and work second (or more) jobs alongside playing – a different world to that of the men’s sport.

An illustrative example is the fact Williams never even expected to be paid for her skill. When the footballer first started playing professionally for one of the capital’s leading teams, Chelsea, it was something she saw as a privilege in itself.

“When I started out it was just about playing. Just being able to play and put the Chelsea shirt on and score goals for Chelsea, the buzz that I got from that, I never thought that one day I would get paid to play for a team I had supported for so long.”

After struggling on the “FA part-time salary” that “wasn’t enough to live off but enabled you to have a part-time job so that you were less tired when you were training”, WIlliams has now been on a full-time salary for four years and has become one of the biggest names in her field – literally. So, what does the soccer superstar put down to her success? Pretty simply, “sticking at it”.

“My career is the reward of sticking at it, making different decisions along the way which helped me kick off my football career. It could have gone a different way, I could have got a job if I needed money but I did it the hard way. We had to grind and get little part-time jobs on the side and pay to get to football back then.”

Despite the challenges, Williams insists: “I’ll never look back with any regret, I could have done education but if I did I probably wouldn’t have had the achievements I’ve had in my career.”

What’s that you say about women not being as ‘strong’ as men? I can’t think of anything stronger than a lioness, which is exactly what Williams is.

Fara Williams is helping McDonald’s celebrate 15 years of its Community Football Programme and its longstanding commitment to inclusivity. For more information on McDonald’s support of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2017™ visit mcdonalds.co.uk/womenseuro

England's most capped player Fara Williams on what it takes to get to the top of the beautiful game