England and Chelsea star Lauren James prepares to shoot Pepsi’s ‘Refresh The Game’ campaign.
“Music plays a big part” says England and Chelsea forward Lauren James when describing how she prepares for major tournaments, “I’m not someone that really has strict pre-match rituals or superstitions – I just focus on my training.”
James faces a race against time to recover from a hamstring injury ahead of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 tournament in Switzerland this summer, but took some time out to head to the Wild West for Pepsi’s Refresh the Game campaign.
Pepsi’s video features its new female global ambassadors who are “redefining the game” and sees them appear in classic Pepsi ads, with James popping up in a reprise of the cola brand’s 2003 advert featuring David Beckham in a Wild West saloon, where James intercepts an ice cold Pepsi bound for Beckham before heading outside to nutmeg Saudi Arabian soccer player Farah Jefry. She says “sharing the screen with legendary players of the past and future is a dream come true.”
It’s perhaps apt that she was placed alongside Beckham as both share the dubious honor of being sent off for England at the World Cup, with James seeing red against Nigeria in the round of 16 at the 2023 World Cup, where England reached the final.
But Lauren James isn’t your typical role model, she says “I’m someone who thrives on being different – whether that’s on the pitch or outside it. I like to think my style of play is quite unique,” adding that “Growing up, girls aren’t typically taught to show their physical strength, but I’ve been known to do this as a professional footballer across multiple attacking positions.”
England will certainly need James’ strength in Switzerland as the Lionesses face something of a “group of death” in Group D alongside France, the Netherlands, and local rivals Wales. England’s opener is against France in Zurich on July 5.
James says “featuring in this campaign alongside other great female athletes while recreating some of the amazing ads I grew up watching, is a proud moment for me.”
Those greats include England captain Leah Williamson, Spanish midfielder Alexia Putellas, and Norwegian striker Caroline Graham Hansen.
Putellas, who plays her club soccer for Barcelona, won the Ballon d’Or Feminin back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, but says she sees her awards “as recognition of the entire team’s work… Of course, achieving something that had never been done before is special, but for me, the most important thing is still helping my team win titles.”
Those titles include the 2023 World Cup, where Spain beat England 1-0 in the final, and Spain will be one of the favorites again at Euro 2025, kicking off against Portugal in Bern on July 3 before other Group B matches against Italy and Belgium.
Putellas appears in the ad “alongside” Brazilian legend Pele, receiving a precision pass then doing a rainbow flick over a defender’s head. She says “To be ‘playing’ with the legendary Pele, even in a fictional game is an opportunity I never thought possible” and “Seeing female players in campaigns like this normalizes our presence in the conversation at the same level as men… When a major brand invests in our sport, it’s a powerful message that reinforces all the progress that has been made in recent years.”
Putellas says “The more stories we tell, the bigger impact we can create.” Who knows what stories will be told in Switzerland this summer at Euro 2025.
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