Republic of Ireland star Ruesha Littlejohn claimed an unexpected allegiance on social media after England's 3-1 defeat of Australia booked the Lionesses a spot in Sunday's World Cup final.
The free agent, who played as a forward for Aston Villa before stepping away from the team at the end of last season, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday to applaud England's performance at Stadium Australia.
'I've always been a big England fan,' Littlejohn posted. 'Engerlandddddddd.'
But fans of the player were quick to spot that her comment might have come with some context.
During Republic of Ireland's World Cup campaign, Littlejohn courted controversy in her refusal to shake the hand of Australian opponent Caitlin Foord before the Matildas beat the Irish side 1-0 in their group stage meeting.
Video footage showed Littlejohn seeming to skip over Foord in pre-match handshakes before kickoff in a highly unusual snub that some hinted may have had something to do with the players' personal lives, namely Foord's close friendship and recent holiday with Littlejohn's ex-girlfriend.
Tensions after the match were thought to have reached boiling point when Littlejohn appeared to make an attempt to approach the Matildas striker, before being physically held back by her team-mates.
Fans speculated that Littlejohn's unusual behaviour was linked to her recent split from long-time partner - and Republic of Ireland captain - Katie McCabe.
The couple are thought to have separated after over seven years together, with McCabe confirming the break-up in an interview days before the start of the team's group stage campaign.
Foord and McCabe are team-mates at Arsenal, and in early June enjoyed a group holiday to Ibiza with fellow professional footballers
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