Is Arsenal Women’s Vivianne Miedema the next Mikel Arteta? She could be.. by Michelle
Arsenal Women’s Dutch international Vivianne Miedema has had a beautiful football career. She may only be 26, but what she has done in football is incredible. In her, Arsenal have one of the top goal scorers in the women’s game – Miedema remains the all-time top goalscorer in the Women’s Super League, with 74 goals in the WSL. Miedema has also racked up an awe-inspiring 95 international goals in 115 appearances for the Netherlands – more than any other Netherlands player, male or female, and she was part of Sarina Wiegman’s Netherlands side that won the 2017 European Championship on home soil.
As well as being a brilliant finisher, her hold-up play, ability to link the game, and passing range set her above most other strikers in the world.
Notably, as much as we love her on the pitch, she now, while recovering from a significant ACL injury, is trying to fulfil her ambitions to someday enter coaching. NOS.com, which recently had a chance to interview Miedema, noted how she is still a big part of the Dutch women’s team’s World Cup preparations even though she is set to miss the competition. About the ‘role’ she has taken to help her team succeed in the World Cup, Miedema says, “After the game, I discuss the game with Andries (Jonker, ed.) and a few girls. That way I try to be an addition.”
We’ve seen top players turn to coaching and flourish in that role. Mikel Arteta, Xavi, and Vincent Kompany are perfect examples of how one can transform from a top player to a top coach. Sarina Wiegman, coach for the Lionesses who won Euro 2022, and former coach for the Netherlands Women’s National team, who won Euro 2017, began her football playing career at a young age. Sarina, like Miedema, has a distinguished club footballing career, as well as playing for the Netherlands national team from a young age. And just look at what Sarina has gone on to achieve in recent years.. Source: Wikipedia
The women’s game doesn’t have as many female coaches as it ought to have. Case in point: in the women’s WSL top 4, only Chelsea, who are coached by Emma Hayes, have a woman as coach. We need more women in that role, and hopefully Miedema will make us proud by changing the dynamics. Who knows, she could even be an Arsenal manager of the future?
What do you think of Miedema’s aspirations? I think she is a force to behold on the pitch and off it already, and the future is hers for the making..
Michelle Maxwell
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She’s fantastic. Love her
Her partner/GF is pretty good too – Beth Mead
She is the real star but Beth before injury and Leah have been pushed too hard literally shoved into our faces. It should have been her from the beginning.