The fairytale of how a small girl from Canada, Olivia Smith, conquered England. Now she wants the Ballon d’Or

When the newly crowned UEFA WOmen's  Champions League winners signed the young Canadian from Liverpool on 17 July 2025, it marked a historic milestone for women’s football. The north London club paid £1 million for the winger, at the time the highest transfer fee ever paid for a female footballer. But what is it like to play with the pressure of such a huge price tag?

It was a logical move. Arsenal were riding high in the summer of 2025. After 18 years, they had sensationally won the Champions League and remain the only English club to have achieved the feat in the women’s competition. And they have done it twice.

However, the Gunners had not won the domestic title since 2019 and, after conquering Europe, they wanted domestic success as well. Naturally, that was reflected in the transfer market. The question was how Arsenal would make use of the financial reward they had received for their triumph. There was speculation surrounding US star Trinity Rodman, whose contract with Washington Spirit was due to expire at the time.

Other European clubs were also interested in Rodman. Beyond her qualities on the pitch, her arrival would have provided a marketing boost, given her popularity among the wider public, not just football fans. Arsenal, however, decided to take a different route. And they turned their attention to Liverpool.

Hidden gem in Liverpool

Liverpool have not exactly been thriving in the WSL. They finished mid-table in the 2024/25 season, were not among the favourites for any domestic trophies and could only dream of competing in Europe. And yet, that season, they had one particularly outstanding player.

Smith joined Liverpool after one season with Sporting in Portugal. Although Portugal is not exactly a common market for WSL clubs to find new players, 13 goals and nine assists in 11 league appearances were numbers that attracted attention. Liverpool offered Sporting £200,000 for her at the time.

First women who scored on the Anfield

And that was only the beginning. Although Smith had only just turned 20 and, as a Canadian, was already playing on the other side of the world, far away from her family and everything she knows, she showed that she belonged in Europe’s best league. She became the first woman to score at the iconic Anfield and was responsible for a third of Liverpool’s goals that season. It was no surprise that clubs from the top of the table started showing interest.

Chelsea, who had won the treble that season and, most importantly, claimed the WSL title for the sixth consecutive year, were interested in the Canadian winger. Arsenal, however, had something bigger in their pocket. A Champions League triumph and, above all, £1 million. At the time, it was the highest fee anyone had ever paid in women’s football.

Under pressure

When such a price tag is placed on you, it creates pressure. Fans, experts and journalists naturally turn their attention towards you and expectations are high. Smith later explained in an interview how important head coach Renée Slegers was in this regard, working with her on the mental side of the game and helping her cope with the pressure.

And Smith did not need long to prove that she was a good investment. It was clear to everyone from her very first appearance. Arsenal opened the 2025/26 season at the Emirates against WSL newcomers London City Lionesses. And despite being newly promoted, LCL boasted signings such as Grace Geyoro and Jana Fernández, and everyone knew this was a club that had come to compete for much more than simply survival.

It was their captain, Kosovare Asllani, who converted a penalty to put London City ahead at the Emirates and silence the entire stadium. Fortunately, it did not stay that way for long. And it was Olivia Smith who brought Arsenal back into the game with a brilliant strike. Stina Blackstenius, Chloe Kelly and Frida Maanum later added goals of their own.

A moment that stays forever

The moment was so memorable for Smith that she later had it tattooed. She had shown Arsenal fans that her arrival was certainly something worth celebrating.

Going through Olivia Smith’s entire 2025/26 season here would be unnecessary. Her goal helped Arsenal win the FIFA Champions Cup, she scored her first Champions League goals, regularly featured in the starting XI and also found the net in a home victory over Manchester City, who had been on a winning streak for several months.

But there was also a dark moment, one that no footballer wants to experience in their career. In the League Cup semi-final against Manchester United, she was shown a red card and had to watch from the bench as Arsenal were eliminated following a 1–0 defeat. Slegers immediately publicly backed her, saying it had been a tough but valuable lesson for the young player.

And it is clear that the incident has not affected her in the long term. The fact that she has now been named PFA Young Player of the Year for the second time is proof of that. Her ambitions are anything but modest. 

Alongside her goals with Arsenal, she also has one major personal ambition.  She wants to win the Ballon d’Or. And it is fair to say she is already perfectly on track. She has scored in preseason and we will certainly be seeing her in the starting XI more often than not.