“When I came to Everton, I felt so welcomed, so valued and to this day, it’s definitely the best decision I ever made in my career.”It is safe to say Ruby Mace is not just thriving at Everton, she is excelling. Her move to Goodison Park from Leicester in the summer was a club-record signing.
Polite and humble, that does not affect the 22-year-old’s thinking – “I just wanted to go somewhere I felt wanted,” she said – but the Toffees are certainly getting their money’s worth.
It is at both Leicester, where she spent time on loan before making a permanent move, and Everton over the last few years where Mace has made a name for herself.But it was a tough spell at Manchester City – where she signed her first professional deal on her 18th birthday in 2021 – that taught her just what she wanted from a football club.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Mace said: “With Man City, they wanted me to stay in and around the first team, learning off the likes of Steph [Houghton], Alex Greenwood and that’s something that I wanted to take in my career.
“I’d been at Arsenal the whole time (Mace came through their academy and made three first-team appearances). I knew nothing different and I needed to step out of my comfort zone a little bit.
“I always say I never have any regrets, but maybe it wasn’t the right decision for me to progress forward in that playing style.
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Mace made 13 appearances for Man City, but called her time there some of the ‘darkest of her career’
“I’m a young player and you can’t just expect to walk into a Man City side and start every week. I knew that that wasn’t going to happen.”But it’s when you go into training every single day, you’re giving it your all but you’re getting told there’s nothing more you can do and you still don’t get your chance.”It feels a little bit unfair and I started to question myself. That’s when my family stepped in and said ‘I don’t know why you feel like this. You’re a good player and you need to go and chase your dreams’.”When the opportunity of Leicester came along, it was a no-brainer. I had to go and play, especially under a coach who wanted me to be there. To feel valued in a team is probably the biggest blessing you could ever have.
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Mace credits Leicester with helping her rediscover her love of football
“When I went there…
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2026-02-24 10:00:00
