How Vivianne Miedema’s record breaking season at Arsenal has been years in the making

From the age of five, Vivianne Miedema has been on a pitch with a ball at her feet. She would kick the ball around the house, driving her parents mad, as kids do.

Watching her dad play, even though he was coming towards the end of his career, helped her learn a lot about the game.

Miedema was destined to become a striker as it runs in the family. Her dad was a No 10, her grandad was also a No 10 and now her younger brother Lars plays as a No 9.

Like most young female footballers, Miedema played in a boys’ team for a while. As usual, she was scoring plenty of goals. Miedema recalls playing for amateur side VV de Weide against Groningen and beating them 7-5 with her scoring five goals and assisting the other two:

“I can’t remember any of the goals I scored, but I do remember all of the boys crying because they were the professional club and we’d beaten them as an amateur team, the Dutch international told the Arsenal website.

“The goalkeeper and the two central defenders were devastated – they’d just conceded five goals to the only girl on the pitch. That was a good feeling.”

Miedema had been playing against boys since she was five but at 14 she chose to join Heerenveen even though the level the boys were playing at was higher. Playing against 30-year-old women on a regular basis didn’t phase Miedema who took it in her stride.

She came on as a substitute with her side 1-0 down and scored both goals to win the game 2-1. The rest, as they say, is history.

The beginning of her international career followed a similar trajectory. During her second cap for the Netherlands, Miedema scored three goals in 15 minutes against Portugal and hasn’t really been out of the starting XI since then.

In 2014, Miedema left her home country to join Bayern Munich where she won the Bundesliga in 2015 and then 2016 for the first time since 1976. The year where Miedema really announced herself to the world was 2017.

She signed a contract to join Arsenal in May and then went to the European Championships where she had the tournament of her life with the Netherlands. She scored four goals at the Euros, including two in the final in a 4-2 win over Denmark to announce herself on the world stage.

Miedema (centre) celebrates winning Euro 2017. Photo: Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty

Unfortunately, Miedema’s first season at Arsenal didn’t go to plan. Injuries and being played out of position contributed to an underwhelming start to life in England in which Miedema managed just four WSL goals.

This season has been completely different. The 22-year-old has quadrupled last campaign’s goal tally is thriving in an attacking team where she is the central focus.

“I used to be the playmaker but now I’m responsible for scoring goals. That’s a different type of pressure but it’s one that I’m really enjoying. I’m not an out-and-out No 9, I like to think I’m a mix of a No 9 and 10.”

Miedema broke Birmingham City striker Ellen White’s record of 15 goals in a single Women’s Super League season when she scored her 16^th of the campaign against Reading with seven games to go.

Modest as always, Miedema played down her achievement when she said:

“Honestly, I’m just happy that I can help the team. I’m a number nine so my game is all about scoring goals, and there’s still seven more games to go, so I’m hoping to score plenty more!”

Photo: Arsenal.com

At the age of 22, there is still so much to come from Miedema and her talent will continue to shine through at Arsenal. As former Netherlands teammate Loes Geurts said:

“Vivianne showed her qualities already from a very young age, and even though there has been a lot of pressure on her, she kept developing. I think she will continue to grow and develop as a striker with the potential to become one of the world’s best.”

Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural Ballon d’Or Feminin last year after four hugely successful seasons with Lyon. If Arsenal win the league this season and go far in the Champions League the following campaign, Miedema will almost certainly be on the shortlist next year.

And in years to come, if she keeps developing as she is now, Vivianne Miedema could be holding the golden trophy aloft.