Nikita Josephine Parris (born 10 March 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Brighton & Hove Albion and the England national team.

Born in Toxteth, an inner city area of Liverpool,[5] Parris was raised with her twin sister and two brothers by her mother, Jo, who worked three jobs to support the family.

[6] Parris attended St. Patrick's Primary School in Liverpool where she trained with the athletic team and dreamed of playing like Arsenal and Scottish international player Julie Fleeting.

Her mother often bought her the latest kit, and she would emulate her favourite players Michael Owen, Fernando Torres and Luis Suárez.

[12] "The first time she showed up at trials and training for our younger age groups at Everton her pace and physical presence stood out and that's something you see on the world stage.

[22] Parris joined Manchester City on a season-long loan in January 2015, reuniting with former teammates Toni Duggan and Jill Scott, who had left Everton two seasons prior, as she thought she needed to play in WSL 1 to contend for a place on the senior England national team.

[27] Parris made her UEFA Women's Champions League debut for Manchester City on 6 October 2016 during the team's 2–0 win over Zvezda-2005 Perm in the Round of 32 of the 2016–17 tournament.

[30] During the 2017–18 FA WSL season, she was a starting forward in 17 of the 18 games she played and scored 11 goals,[18] ranking second in the league behind Ellen White of Birmingham City.

[34] Manchester City finished in second place during the regular season with a 12–4–2 record[31] and secured a berth to the 2018–19 UEFA Women's Champions League (their third consecutive qualification).

[38] Parris helped Manchester City reach the semi-finals where they were narrowly defeated 0–1 (aggregate) by eventual champions, Olympique Lyonnais.

[44] At age 24,[45] she became the Women's Super League's all-time top goalscorer on 4 November 2018 after scoring a brace in the team's 3–0 win against Liverpool.

"[46] She scored her fourth brace of the season during a 3–0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion on 27 January 2019, including a penalty kick in the third minute of the match.

[18] Parris' brace against Chelsea in the semi-final[49] earned City a berth to the 2018–19 FA Women's League Cup Final where they defeated Arsenal in penalty kicks after a 0–0 draw and extra time.

[50] The same year, she helped Manchester City win the 2018–19 FA Women's Cup in front of 43,264 fans at Wembley Stadium.

[51] Parris competed with Manchester City in the team's two 2018–19 UEFA Women's Champions League Round of 32 matches[18] where they were defeated 1–3 (aggregate) by Atlético Madrid.

[59] Parris added four goals in six 2019–20 UEFA Women's Champions League appearances,[58] but missed the final through suspension after she was sent off in a fractious semi-final win over rivals Paris Saint-Germain.

[65] Following two seasons with Olympique Lyonnais, Parris returned to the Super League, signing with Arsenal for a club-record fee on 2 July 2021.

[77] In 2012 U-19 Championship qualification, Parris scored the winning goal against Finland and a hat trick against Wales,[78][79] helping England under-19s qualify for the final tournament.

In April 2013, for 2013 U-19 Championship qualification, she scored against Hungary and Norway,[80][81] followed by goals against Wales and Denmark in the final tournament in August 2013,[82][83] with the under-19s becoming runners-up in the competition,[84][85] as well as qualifying for the 2014 U-20 World Cup.

[92] On 27 June 2017, Parris scored her first goal in a major tournament, netting the winner in England's 2–1 final group stage win against Portugal at Euro 2017.

Aluko stated, "For the most together team in the world tonight's "message" only shows a level of disrespect that represents division and selfish action"[94] and later spotlighted the lack of diversity in English women's football.

[95] Sampson was fired the day after the Russia game but later won a "significant" settlement when he brought an unfair dismissal case against The FA.

[96] In June 2020, against the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement, Parris changed her mind about the situation and apologised to Aluko in an open letter.

[102] Her six goals ranked first in 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (UEFA) and helped secure a spot at the tournament later that year.

"[108] However, when England were awarded yet another penalty in their 2–1 semi-final defeat by the United States, Neville demoted Parris from penalty-taking duties in favour of the captain Steph Houghton.

[113][114] Parris was allotted 196 when the FA announced their legacy numbers scheme to honour the 50th anniversary of England's inaugural international.

[115][116] After a strong start to the season for Brighton & Hove Albion, Parris was called up for the upcoming Nations League matches, making a return to the squad following a two year absence.

[138] Described by teammates as "down to earth" with "exceptional gifts framed by a fierce determination and a maturity", Parris is known for her wit, ability to learn quickly, and fast-moving feet.

"[135] The academy, based at The City of Liverpool College, is supported by international sportswear company Puma, which donates sports equipment.

[151] The same year, a Parris mural by Honduran artist Javier Espinal and local youth was unveiled at the Metropolitan Methodist Centre in Toxteth.