Lego and tattoos - Wales' role model goalkeeper

Nations League: Denmark v Wales

Venue: Nature Energy Park, Odense Date: Friday, 30 May Kick-off: 18:15 BST

Coverage: Live connected BBC Two Wales, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, nan BBC Sport website and app, positive unrecorded matter commentary

Highlights: S4C and BBC iPlayer, 21:35 BST and later connected demand.

She is nan Manchester United and Wales rookie who is already a domiciled model.

And, pinch Euro 2025 astir nan corner, has been showing why plentifulness person tipped her to go her country's early number one.

Safia Middleton-Patel is nan 20-year-old goalkeeper who has hailed Mary Earps arsenic an idol but is opening to make a sanction for herself.

Her capacity connected her competitory world debut past period helped Wales to an eye-catching 1-1 tie successful Sweden.

But she has besides earned praise disconnected nan transportation for helping break down stigmas astir autism aft speaking publically astir her ain diagnosis.

It has been immoderate travel truthful acold for a young subordinate who is seldom seen without a grin aliases her sunglasses, but whose shot-stopping could beryllium seen connected nan European shape this summer.

Becoming a footballer – and surely a goalkeeper – was not ever nan scheme for nan subordinate who hails from Wrexham and is known astir nan Wales campy arsenic simply Saf.

After a very early dabble pinch thoroughfare dancing aliases immoderate different athletics connected connection successful nan section village, Middleton-Patel was yet "thrown" into football.

"I was nan only woman connected nan squad unfortunately, it wasn't very large backmost then," she told BBC Sport Wales backmost successful 2023.

"I went to a summertime campy each twelvemonth pinch nan lads. None of them wanted to spell successful extremity truthful conscionable propulsion nan young woman successful goal.

"But to beryllium adjacent I enjoyed it, I loved putting nan boys down and redeeming them, making them angry."

It was nan pathway to location talent centres and past joining Liverpool's academy earlier signing for Manchester United arsenic a 15-year-old successful 2020.

By 2022 she had worked her measurement into nan United matchday squad for nan first time, pinch a master statement pursuing successful January 2023 astatine a nine wherever she says she learned overmuch from watching erstwhile team-mate Earps up close.

Fiercely proud of nan Welsh dragon she has worn correct done nan property groups, Middleton-Patel – whose begetter is Indian - is proud besides of her southbound Asian heritage.

United judge her to beryllium nan first subordinate of Indian inheritance to characteristic successful 1 of their elder squads for either nan women's aliases nan men's sides.

And – having been first called into nan Wales elder set-up successful September 2022 earlier winning a first headdress successful a 1-0 friends triumph complete nan Philippines successful February 2023's Pinatar Cup – she followed successful nan footsteps of Euro 2016 leader Neil Taylor, different Wales world pinch Indian heritage.

"I'm very proud," she has said of her background. "I'm very fortunate to beryllium successful a position to hopefully animate a younger procreation to beryllium for illustration 'I tin do that too' and judge successful themselves."

That first Wales headdress astatine nan property of conscionable 18 led to a pivotal infinitesimal for a subordinate who said she ever felt "different".

Coming successful nan aforesaid week arsenic making her first Championship quality 1 time aft joining Coventry United connected loan, Middleton-Patel has spoken connected really nan overload of emotions proved to beryllium a tipping point.

"I couldn't function, I couldn't speak, I couldn't modulate my temperature," she said, deciding to activity thief and uncovering immoderate clarity pinch a test for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

"I was being truthful difficult connected myself and struggling pinch elemental regular activities. I said 'I deliberation there's thing incorrect pinch me' but now I look astatine it, location was thing incorrect pinch me, it was conscionable nan measurement my encephalon worked."

She went nationalist pinch her test successful September 2023 pinch a station connected societal media, and has regularly spoken astir really she hopes she tin beryllium a affirmative influence, having hailed Lucy Bronze for doing nan same.

Middleton-Patel has since described her ASD arsenic thing of a superpower, and says she is capable to hyper attraction astatine times while successful goal.

But she has besides developed her ways of coping – pinch those sunglasses among nan tools, while nan therapy of building Lego has seen a nine formed astatine United pinch adjacent pals Jess Simpson, Leah Galton and Rachel Williams, and caller boxes being brought onto world work connected a regular basis.

There is moreover a Lego tattoo amid nan Welsh daffodils – pinch nan day of her debut – and a motion to her Harry Potter ace instrumentality position inked connected her arm.

But it is what she tin do pinch her hands that could make nan biggest mark.

With veteran Laura O'Sullivan-Jones injured for nan tournament, Middleton-Patel gave Rhian Wilkinson plentifulness to deliberation astir pinch her caller subordinate of nan lucifer capacity successful Gothenburg.

While winning conscionable her 3rd cap, she made 8 saves successful nan biggest crippled of her career.

"Outstanding," arsenic erstwhile guardant Gwennan Harries put it.

Many Welsh shot fans will beryllium hoping it is conscionable nan commencement for a subordinate who has already inspired connected and disconnected nan pitch.