England Lionesses coach Sarina Wiegman disguised herself as a boy to play football before becoming most successful manager in women’s game
England Lionesses coach Sarina Wiegman reportedly disguised herself as a boy to play football in her local team. After developing an interest in the sport as a kid, she reportedly cut her hair short to play alongside her sibling Tom for the local side ESDO.
Born in the Netherlands, Wiegman is one of the most successful managers in the women's game. Currently, she's enjoying a fairytale run with England as the nation will battle it out for the FIFA Women's World Cup trophy in the final against Spain.
The 53-year-old developed her skills playing with the opposite gender at a time when girl's football was banned in her country. Recalling moments from her childhood, she said (via The Sun):
"As a little girl, when I was five or six, girls were not allowed to play football, but I just liked football and my parents never made any fuss. They just said, ‘If you want to play football, you’re going to play football’.”
The former PE teacher also becomes the first-ever manager to guide two nations to the World Cup final. Having reached the same stage with the Netherlands in 2019 and losing out to the USA 2-0, she will be looking for a different result this time around.
"We achieved the final"- Sarina Wiegman reacts as England reach FIFA Women's World Cup final
England coach Sarina Wiegman reacted in jubilant fashion as her side booked their slot in the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup. The Lionesses completed a 3-1 win over Australia in the semi-final of the tournament.
Wiegman also becomes the first coach to take two nations to the final of the Women's World Cup. Speaking after the semi-final victory, she said (via BBC Sports):
"We achieved the final, it's unbelievable. It feels like we won it [the whole tournament], we didn't win it, but we won this game. The chance that, as a coach or as players, to make it to finals is really special."
The Dutch tactician took charge in 2021 after England were knocked out of the semi-final stage in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. The 53-year-old's side are now one step away from winning the tournament.