Five members of England’s Euro 2025 squad played for Arsenal in their Women’s Champions League final win, including Lionesses captain and centre-back Leah Williamson
Leah Williamson hopes she and her Arsenal team-mates in the England squad can use their Champions League success to set themselves up for Euro 2025 glory. Lionesses captain Williamson was one of five members of Sarina Wiegman’s squad involved as Arsenal beat Barcelona in Lisbon in May to be crowned the best club side in Europe.
Alessia Russo and on-loan Chloe Kelly both started the 1-0 victory, while Beth Mead and Lotte Wubben-Moy came off the bench. The quintet have all travelled to Switzerland, where the Euros holders kick off their title defence against France on July 5, and Williamson was asked how that club success might help spur on the national team.
“I think winning breeds a winning mentality – the consistency of it,” Williamson told UEFA. “That’s what they always say, ‘To be great, you don’t just win once, you win twice,’ and so on and so forth.
“So it’s a really good feeling to bank and just have that, and I do think it makes you a lot more hungry than you previously were. So I’m hoping that the experience isn’t going to be of detriment to us at all, and another big moment, a big opportunity and we took it, so even proving to yourself, I think it does a lot for your own confidence.”
England boss Wiegman has already won the tournament twice – once with the Lionesses in 2022 and once with her home country, the Netherlands, in 2017. She also led both nations to World Cup finals, with England losing to Spain in Australia in 2023, but insisted the hunger for more success is still there.
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“Of course, we’re defending our title, but as I said, we want to chase more,” Wiegman said. “This is an opportunity, because if you see our group it’s a very exciting, challenging group.
“From the beginning I feel like we play three finals straight away, so that’s what we’re going to chase for and show how good we are and that we can take our level to the next stage. That’s what’s necessary too, because the women’s game in all areas is moving forward so quickly.”
England will follow their opener against France with a game against the Netherlands on July 9, with the final group game taking place against Wales on July 13. “We try to turn every stone to get as best prepared as we can be before we go into the tournament, and get every player fit and fresh to perform under the highest pressure, and then get ready for the next game,” Wiegman added.
“Your programme needs to be top, top level but you need a little bit of luck, too, at [times]. Trying to create momentum and getting that togetherness in the team, the excitement that we’re ready to go. And I can feel it already!”
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