On the day Chelsea Women face a stern Champions League test against their old rivals Wolfsburg, one of the club’s former trainees has been inducted into football’s hall of fame.

Fara Williams joined Chelsea as a pre-teen before going on to become a star for Everton, Liverpool, Arsenal and Reading, and gaining 172 caps for England – an all-time record.

In fact she was just 12 when, as a Richmond schoolgirl, she joined the then Chelsea Ladies U14s team, scoring 30 goals for the Blues after being elevated to the first team in the 2000-2001 season.

She played in every season of the Women’s Super League before her retirement this year, and is viewed as one of the most gifted midfielders. Now 37, she twice won the Barclays FA WSL title with Liverpool.

The Women’s Super League Hall of Fame experts were unanimous. Panel chair Kelly Simmons called her “one of those players that can do something special when you least expect it”.