Safia Middleton-Patel is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Manchester United of the Women's Super League, and the Wales national team.
In 2023 she publicly shared her recent autism diagnosis, aiming to break the stigma around it and inspire others.
She brought LEGO to training as a calming method, leading to the creation of a "LEGO Club" at Manchester United.
She wears sunglasses during team meetings to block out sensory stimuli, helping her focus better.
She couldn't understand drills in football training unless she visually saw them first.
Her best friends is her teammate Jess Simpson.
She played at Liverpool and Manchester United Academy.
She comes from a Indian-Welsh family, with an Indian father and Welsh mother.
She wears puzzle pieces on her boots and gloves to represent the diversity and complexity of Autism.
She started playing football as a striker but became a goalkeeper because the boys at summer camps didn’t want to play in goal.
| WSL Academy League | 1× |
| Academy Cup | 1× |
| Year | Club | AP | GL |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2024
-
|
Watford (loan) | 6 | 0 |
|
2023
-
|
Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 1 | 0 |
|
2023
-
|
Coventry United (loan) | 3 | 0 |
|
2022
-
|
Leicester City (loan) | 0 | 0 |
|
2021
-
|
Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 0 | 0 |
|
2021
-
present
|
Manchester United | 0 | 0 |
| International Stats | |||
|
2023
-
present
|
Wales | 2 | 0 |
|
2020
-
2021
|
Wales U19 | 6 | 0 |
|
2019
-
2021
|
Wales U17 | 6 | 0 |
