The Swiss princess is coming home. Is Lia Wälti the most beloved player?

“So… thank you for everything, Arsenal.” When Swiss midfielder Lia Wälti left Arsenal last year, it broke the hearts of many Gooners. Her departure from the club she had called home for almost seven years became one of the most emotional farewells in the recent memory. Now, she's back in the Women's Super League. But what is the story of one of the most beloved female football players?

An UEFA Women's Champions League winner, English league champion, two domestic italian cups winner and Subway Women's League Cup winner, Wälti has also captained Switzerland to the knockout stage of last summer's home UEFA Women's Euro 2025 -  the nation's greatest achievement on the international stage to date. Although the Swiss eventually fell to tournament favourites Spain in the quarter-finals, they made it difficult for favourites to win.

Wälti embraced the responsibility of captaining the host nation. She knew expectations had been raised after the success of UEFA Women's Euro 2022 in England. With that in mind, she launched the Instagram account @lias_switzerland, introducing fans from around the world to her country and its culture throughout the tournament.

But let's start at the beginning.

Wälti was born into a sporting family. Both of her parents were athletes: her mother played handball, while her father played football. As a child, Lia balanced both sports before eventually choosing football. She also developed a passion for ice hockey, another sport deeply rooted in Swiss culture.

Growing up at a time when becoming a professional female footballer was far from a realistic career path, she dreamed of becoming a kindergarten teacher. Instead, she stayed with football and went on to inspire not only young girls in Switzerland but aspiring players around the world. 

Her first major step came at the age of 15 when she joined Young Boys Bern Frauen. Wälti soon realised that if she wanted to keep progressing, she would eventually have to leave Switzerland. In 2013, she moved to Germany to join Turbine Potsdam, where she signed her first professional contract.

It was in Potsdam that the player fans know today truly began to emerge. Not through flashy dribbles or double-digit goal tallies, but through her ability to read the game seconds before everyone else. A midfielder who rarely steals the headlines, yet remains indispensable to her team every time she steps onto the pitch.

From Potsdam to North London

After four seasons, another opportunity arrived in 2018 – this time at one of Europe's biggest clubs. Arsenal were looking for a holding midfielder capable of linking defence with attack while bringing composure in possession. Wälti fitted that profile perfectly. When she arrived in England in the summer of 2018, women's football was only beginning to attract wider public attention. Arsenal, however, were already ahead of the curve. In north London, the club understood that the future belonged to women's football. In the years that followed, helped enormously by the success of UEFA Women's Euro 2022,  the WSL developed into Europe's best-attended women's football league. Lia Wälti was there for every step of that journey.

While star names arrived around her and women's football entered a new era, Wälti remained the same. Quiet, reliable and consistently indispensable. The kind of player whose value is easier to explain to teammates than to statistics. Her calm personality, gentle manner and life away from controversy only strengthened her popularity.

Her bond with Arsenal supporters was also built away from the pitch. On social media, she regularly shared what it was like to combine elite football with university studies. Together with her sister, Meret, she also wrote the children's book Lia am Ball. Inspired in part by her own story, its main purpose is to encourage young readers, especially girls, by showing them that becoming a professional footballer is a realistic dream in today's world.

Over seven seasons at Arsenal, where she earned the nickname "Wally" and, thanks to her elegant appearance, "Swiss Princess", she celebrated a league title, domestic cup success and, above all, the UEFA Women's Champions League trophy she had dreamed of winning. That greatest prize in club football became the final trophy she lifted in Arsenal colours. Raising it above her head also became her farewell to the club and the supporters who had watched her grow into one of Europe's finest midfielders.

Time for new challenge

Her farewell video left few dry eyes. Wälti spoke warmly about Arsenal, making no secret of what the club meant to her. But at 32, she felt it was time for a new challenge. Her next destination was Juventus, the reigning champions of Serie A Women.

Although Juventus were unable to retain the league title during her first season, Wälti helped the club win both domestic cup competitions. She quickly established herself as a regular starter, once again demonstrating just how valuable she is to any team she represents. As the season progressed, however, speculation grew over whether she was truly settled in Italy and whether a return to the WSL might already be on the horizon. Arsenal fans were given further reason to hope when, ahead of the Champions League quarter-finals, she admitted she would be watching the match and said she was still "with Arsenal in everything I've got."

The rumours gathered momentum until, on 4 July 2026, they became reality. From next season, Wälti will wear Brighton & Hove Albion colours. The Seagulls are coming off an impressive campaign in which they reached the FA Cup final, took points off both Manchester City and Arsenal in the league, and firmly established themselves as a team capable of challenging the division's traditional powers.

Now, alongside talented Norwegian midfielder Emilie Joramo, who joined from Hammarby,  Brighton have added Lia Wälti to their squad. As the club itself explained, the experience and leadership of the Switzerland captain were key reasons behind the signing. A fan favourite is back in the WSL.

After all, as Wälti herself put it, she missed the British weather.