Captain of the Lionesses Leah Williamson, inspired by Arsenal teammate & fans by Michelle
Leah Williamson is a force to behold, both on and off the pitch. Having just turned 26 years old in March, Leah captained the Lionesses to Euro 2022 victory last summer – bringing home the first major trophy in English football, since 1966 and being awarded an OBE as well as many other accolades.
Leah also launched her first book last month – You have the Power – aimed at inspiring young people to believe they can achieve anything they put their minds to.
Leah will also captain the Lionesses in this summer’s upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, in Australia & New Zealand – with England Women being one of the favourites to win.
In an extensive interview Arsenal’s centre-back Leah Williamson talks openly about her inspirations, playing for club & country, and the strength of the Arsenal fan-base.
When asked if there was a team-mate who can really inspire Leah and how do they do it, Leah had no hesitation in her response:
“It has to be Kim Little. I look at her and I think she has the qualities that we all wish we had. In terms of being a decent human, but also being so dedicated.”
“It’s one thing to say that you love something and you want to dedicate yourself to it but to actually have the willingness and the discipline to do it is something else.”
“She’s squeezed every ounce of talent out of her body. All of this, whilst also being a decent human who never treads on anyone else’s head to get to where she wants to go, and just being good at what she does. She gets what she deserves and it’s the perfect balance.”
When asked how important Arsenal supporters are when it’s a difficult situation on the pitch, Leah had nothing but total praise and respect for fans, saying:
“I think the whole reason that football exists in the manner that it does, and the success that it has, is because we play for a fan base that is so huge, and so invested.”
“If you go to the core of football, it doesn’t exist without the fans and when we talk about the difference between the men’s and the women’s game, it’s because of the fan base. We don’t have that yet – potentially because we were banned for 50 years – but the interest is growing.”
“When you look at the core of football, the fans are why you play and that can sometimes be forgotten. You can never underestimate what the fanbase does for your team, that you play to hear them.”
You can read Leah’s full interview at Arsenal.com.
COYGW!!
Michelle Maxwell
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