Hurtré likened to Beckham as Birmingham forward rises into France squad

Océane Hurtré, 22, has scored six goals in Birmingham’s opening eight Women’s Super League matches and warmed up with a 15-yard chip into a draw-string bag before last week’s 1-1 League Cup draw at Aston Villa at Hednesford Town’s Keys Park. She has provided two WSL assists and produced a goal and an assist on her France debut last month, earning a senior call-up.

Hurtré joined Birmingham from Paris Saint-Germain after the summer of 2025 and helped the club win promotion from the second tier. She made her professional debut for PSG as a 16-year-old under Olivier Echouafni during the 2020-21 title-winning season and was subsequently loaned to Dijon in 2022 and to Bordeaux in 2023-24, with injuries limiting her minutes on those spells.

Echouafni praised Hurtré’s attitude and development, saying: "She listens to everything the coach says, she’s very attentive, she’s very focused. She’s like a sun, because when you speak with her, there’s a big light. She was always quite skilful, moving the ball quickly to draw out her opponent, and had a good shot and delivered quality crosses. "Back then, she lacked athletic stamina, the ability to sustain repeated bursts and sometimes also struggled in one-on-one situations because she was so young, but she has made great progress since then. She has also made great progress mentally – her move to Birmingham has done her a world of good." He also recalled a defensive intervention early in her career: "She cleared the ball off the goalline and prevented the equaliser. It was a very important action because, one week later, PSG won the championship."

Sylvain Carric, who was Dijon women’s general manager from 2022 until 2026 and now runs Strasbourg’s women’s teams, underlined technical strengths and versatility, saying: "I wanted to sign Océane for two main reasons. The first was, naturally, the quality of her left foot – it’s magnificent; she can put the ball exactly where she wants it. The second was her versatility. She’s capable of playing as a left-back, a winger or a No 8. "Océane left a fantastic impression during her time at Dijon. She had the intelligence to come to Dijon to grow, rather than remaining on the bench at PSG. She was a very good player and an excellent teammate, always smiling. She has been supported by a very good inner circle, especially her father, who I believe played an important role in her success. As for her potential, it was obvious, especially given that left foot, but she just needed to adapt her physique for the elite level. Now that she’s brought all those elements together, I’m certainly not surprised."

Birmingham head coach Amy Merricks described Hurtré’s development since arriving at the club, saying: "We’re incredibly proud of her. I’m not going to share it but, if I did share where she was when she first came in, people wouldn’t quite believe the turnaround. There were so many areas that she needed support with, transitioning to a different country at a young age. She’s learned English, which is a massive step. "Everyone sees her work on the pitch but we are fortunate to see the amount of work she’s done of it, and it absolutely translates. She’s diligent, she’s a student of the game, and she thoroughly deserved the call-up [for France]."

Her scoring has included strikes against Arsenal, Brighton and Manchester City, and she won September’s WSL player of the month award. WSL supporters have responded to her pace, skill and attacking presence, and she remains noticeable for set-piece deliveries from her left foot.

Sylvain Jamet, a women’s football writer for the French magazine footofeminin who watched Hurtré at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica, highlighted improvements since her move to England: "Her technical ability and her set-piece deliveries with her left foot stood out. Since she’s arrived in the UK, they must have worked on her speed." On international competition for places he added: "They’re competing for the same place with France now. She’s less explosive than Sandy, but she’s better technically for the crosses and passing. Baltimore’s obviously fantastic, more like a one-v-one player, taking on defenders. "Hurtré can cross from anywhere, she can do what [David] Beckham did, basically, crossing from deep, crossing from anywhere. She had very good first cap for France."

Hurtré’s goal contributions in France’s 9-0 win against Latvia have strengthened her case for selection at next summer’s World Cup; Jamet said: "There’s a good chance she will be in the squad for the World Cup. I really expect her to get one of those 26 places."