Summer 2019 will go down as the one when England went gaga over goggles, and Ellen White began realising on exactly what scale when she arrived home from the World Cup.
White was doing her weekly supermarket shop, picking up some fruit and veg, when she was approached by a supporter obviously enchanted by the month in France. The middle-aged man brought his index finger and thumb together, putting both hands to his eyes. That celebration. Fanboy on aisle three.
'They ask, "Are you Ellen White?" which is very weird, and people are doing my celebration to me,' says White, sitting inside her new home — the City Football Academy. Manchester City snapped her up from Birmingham City before the World Cup, where she finished as England's top scorer with six goals.
'It's all pretty crazy,' says White. 'I've never really had that before, unless it's mad women's football fans. But this time it was grown men. It's incredible and the first thing all of them say is, "I really enjoyed the World Cup, we were all backing you".
'Maybe when we retire we'll look back on it. It's just lovely that people watch, come up and want to talk. For me, it's huge that they were captivated by it.'
Captivated is certainly the right word. England performed better at the 2015 World Cup in Canada, winning the bronze medal match, but this year felt different. There is a movement happening in the women's game and a desire to ride the wave of public engagement.
Terrestrial television helped immeasurably, the BBC peaking at 11.7million for England's shattering semi-final defeat by the United States. BT Sport have backed the Women's Super League, but surely free-to-air TV coverage would be an overnight game-changer?
'Potentially, yes,' White says. 'The fact that people could literally just turn on the TV and watch so many games was really important. We want as many as possible watching the WSL.
'It's so important that we make it accessible for everyone. It has grown and grown since the WSL started in 2011. Over the next three or four years that can keep happening.
'We need to keep plugging away. Things like people knowing when the games are on. Bums on seats. We want more people there. We're hoping for that tribal aspect, that massive fanbase, people backing their local clubs.'
City have sold more than 20,000 tickets for the WSL opener against Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, smashing their previous attendance record of 4,096. League-wide average attendances must increase on last year's 937 otherwise the summer euphoria will go to waste. White will miss the derby as she rehabilitates from a knee operation but has her eyes on a debut next month.
The game needs icons and White, 30, is undoubtedly one of them. The role model label still feels 'weird' to her. Her home town, Aylesbury, went mad for the exploits in France. Points of interest there include the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and a statue of David Bowie to commemorate where he debuted Ziggy Stardust. Now they are joined by an Ellen White mural on the high street. Decent company to keep.
'It's all right, isn't it?' White smiles sheepishly. 'They went mental. They changed the town sign to Ellesbury at one point.'
White is here in Manchester with one of her closest friends, captain Steph Houghton. White's husband, FA sports development officer Callum Convery, collected her England Women's Player of the Year award in 2018 because she was on Houghton's hen do in Edinburgh. He knew she'd won all day but didn't let on. Yet the recognition is that with added expectation comes added scrutiny. That was ultimately the difference between the World Cups in 2015 and 2019.
'In Canada we were like, "Oh wow, we've got through the last 16, the quarters",' says White. 'This time we believed we'd win the World Cup. That was the most devastating thing about the USA — we really believed we'd beat them. We'd never felt that before.'
Meanwhile, the USA side are continuing their fight for equal pay over in the States. White backs the Premier League's plan to take over the WSL from the FA — which would doubtless increase visibility and professionalism — but concedes that England's elite players are some way behind politically.
'Theirs is a completely different situation with the US federation,' she says. 'I hope they achieve it.
'We're not at that stage yet. I think it's about revenue really, getting as many people to our WSL games. Coming off the back of the World Cup and using that momentum.
'If we can keep that going for the next five or 10 years you never know what's going to happen.'
For that, it requires a rising standard and White wants more foreign imports in the league.
'Hopefully there will soon be more teams and the level of competitiveness will keep rising,' she says. 'It's important for the best players in the world to come here. If they're all in one place then it makes it the most competitive. Everyone's then fighting for the top.'
Now it is about admiring new heroes on a weekly basis, not just a summer.
'It's just gone crazy. I've had so many messages of kids running around doing that celebration. Grown adults too, just having a bit of fun, having a laugh.'
White breaks out into a grin. 'You know when you think you probably shouldn't have started something?'
Tickets for the FA WSL Manchester derby are available from: https://tickets.mancity.com Adults £7, up to three Under 16s FREE with each adult ticket.