Consistent And Stoic, Leah Williamson Is Most Natural Of Unnatural Leaders

Leah Williamson stops, incapable to scrape nan grin disconnected her face, pizza successful hand, hairsbreadth still damp from nan post-match ablution and a fat lip. “Not annnother one?!” I opportunity to her, mimicking her parody of nan viral wide predetermination clip aft England lifted nan Finalissima. “Annnother one?!” she replies, still grinning.

I americium not nan only 1 who remembers nan clip. “NOT ANOTHER ONEEEEEE,” Lauren Hemp commented connected Williamson’s Instagram post.

The 28-year-old has logic to beryllium cheerful, she is creating history complete and complete and complete again – nan woman whose mum utilized to parkland nan car astatine nan separator of a transportation pinch nan headlights connected astatine 6am truthful she could train successful nan acheronian earlier schoolhouse is now nan first England skipper to assistance 2 awesome trophies and help present England’s first tourney triumph connected overseas soil, coming 2 months aft she tasted European glory pinch her puerility nine Arsenal.

Records are tumbling. Barriers are being broken. Doors are being opened. The Williamson-helmed squad that, for astatine slightest a little period, agreed a divided nation, is led by vocal advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, furious opponents of racism, defenders of nan environment, campaigners against poorness and warriors for equality for women and girls and is redefining what it intends to beryllium “proper English”.

In May, astatine Arsenal’s Champions League trophy assistance extracurricular nan Emirates, Williamson said of what that triumph meant. “I ever said ‘trophy for England complete nan trophy for Arsenal’ because you don’t prime your country, it’s a spot much of a destiny thing, a spot much luck needs to beryllium involved,” she said, her emotion evident. “But I consciousness ashamed now because that emotion was, I deliberation correct now, nan happiest I’ve ever been successful my full entire life and I dream that different Arsenal fans are because I cognize I lived a dream.”

The point is, Williamson doesn’t person to choose. She tin person it all. She has it all.

“The first half took a batch of protect actions,” she says of nan showdown against Spain successful Basel. “They went our measurement and we were successful nan correct spot astatine nan correct clip and I did get a emotion for illustration I did successful nan Champions League final. I thought: ‘Today is our day.’ To do that? What a year. I can’t deliberation astir it excessively overmuch aliases I’ll cry. If I bespeak connected nan past mates years since that past triumph successful 2022, I’m proud.”

The Arsenal centre-back was superb successful Switzerland, flying nether nan radar a small amid nan hype astir England’s supersubs, consistently delivering contempt a conveyor loop of centre-pack partners during nan tourney – first Alex Greenwood, past Jess Carter, past Esme Morgan, past Carter again.

Leah Williamson and Kim Little assistance nan Champions League pinch Arsenal successful May. Photograph: Rodrigo Antunes/Reuters

In nan final, nary subordinate dribbled past Williamson aliases Carter, they had nan joint-most blocked shots and Williamson had much protect actions and clearances than immoderate different subordinate connected nan pitch. Critically though, her scope of passing was exceptional, her diagonal balls a captious constituent successful England’s guardant play. She made much line-breaking passes than immoderate different defender astatine nan tournament, a full bettered only by nan Spain midfielder Patri Guijarro.

Williamson is simply a big-game player. She was besides portion of an Arsenal backline that did not concede a foul successful nan Champions League last successful arsenic adjacent to a cleanable capacity arsenic you tin get connected nan measurement to nan Gunners’ 2nd European title, but she is besides a small-game player, accordant and stoic.

Few who person followed Williamson’s profession would person been amazed erstwhile she was named arsenic Steph Houghton’s successor arsenic skipper of nan Lionesses successful 2022, contempt nan beingness of much elder heads specified arsenic Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright and Ellen White and her having only 20 caps astatine nan time. She has often been cited arsenic being wise beyond her years, nan erstwhile Arsenal head Joe Montemurro describing her “maturity, knowing of nan crippled and positional sense” to those of a 30-year-old, erstwhile she was 25.

Chloe Kelly knew overmuch earlier than that. “I retrieve stepping into Arsenal astatine 12 years aged and saying to my parents: ‘Leah’s going to beryllium England skipper 1 day,’” she said. “She’s conscionable an unthinkable girl, shows awesome activity qualities and is truthful approachable, personification that I get connected truthful good with. To skipper England astatine awesome tournaments location is simply a batch of unit but it doesn’t show successful Leah’s characteristic astatine all. She’s conscionable truthful consistent, highs, lows and everything successful between. She’s a awesome England captain.”

At nan 2022 Euros she blossomed successful nan captaincy role, starring from nan backmost connected nan transportation and starring from nan beforehand disconnected it, delivering impassioned speeches connected nan improvement of nan crippled and its maturation imaginable successful property conferences and mixed zones.

Leah Williamson consoles Spain’s players aft their shootout conclusion successful nan Euro 2025 final. Photograph: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

She is nan astir earthy of unnatural leaders, seen barking orders successful huddles and firing nan squad up successful stark opposition pinch her much introverted persona disconnected nan pitch. That is simply a learned trait, balanced pinch nan illustration group by nan Arsenal captain, Kim Little, who leads pinch her feet much than her voice.

“Leah’s great,” said Ella Toone during this summer’s tournament. “She rallies nan team, gets everyone going, keeps everyone together, and leads by illustration successful nan measurement she plays. You want your skipper to really measurement up successful games and she decidedly does that. She takes america each pinch her arsenic well.”

She plays and leads pinch an affectional intelligence, often seen heavy successful speech pinch Sarina Wiegman whenever location is simply a region successful play, nan mind perpetually analysing, learning, recalculating. After Kelly’s punishment confirmed England’s title retention connected Sunday, Williamson stepped quickly distant from nan first celebrations to activity her measurement astir nan distraught Spain players – activity involves sacrifice.

The statement continues, an open-top autobus parade down nan Mall and ceremony extracurricular Buckingham Palace giving them nan afloat leader treatment. And nan activity continues, pinch nan authorities announcing it is aiming to double nan transportation slots disposable to women and girls astatine grassroots level aft nan Lionesses headed consecutive to Downing Street erstwhile they landed backmost location connected Monday.

After that, it is clip for Williamson to shingle disconnected nan load of responsibility, breathe, conscionable soak it each successful and get fresh to spell again. “You’ve won everything astatine Arsenal, really does that motivate you to do more?” I asked her aft nan Champions League win. “I haven’t won everything,” she said quickly. “I’ve sewage a World Cup to win.”