What were you thinking when you lifted the trophy in Lisbon?
For years now, when it comes to the trophy lift, Leah always says, “This is your moment. You do it,” but I always say no. We achieved it all together, so that’s important to me. So, as we’ve done in other competitions in the past, Leah and I lifted the Champions League trophy together. That’s not a feeling you get very often in life. You feel all the hard work that’s been put in to get to that moment. I’ve been around the game for a long, long time, and then to get to the final and achieve what we did, it was just deeply satisfying.
Leah gave a team talk after the semi-final in Lyon, when we’d produced another incredible comeback, that really tied things back to this club’s legacy. I really hate it when I’m singled out! But it was obviously super-nice when Leah said she wanted to win the Champions League for me, for players who have served this club for years. I’ve been at the club, on and off, since 2008, but that’s just my story. There were so many people who contributed and they all had their own journey to Lisbon. I hope that the success of this club continues and this Champions League win is looked back on as the start of a new chapter.
Was it inspirational to hear from the 2007 winners at the pre-Lisbon lunch at the training ground?
It was such a nice moment for our whole squad, even the players who hadn’t met anyone from the 2007 team before. It was important to understand what had been done almost 20 years previously, and what Arsenal Football Club was and still is. For me, and a few others who played alongside some of the squad, it was meaningful to look back on what’s happened since. It’s so important to have those moments of reflection and share with those involved at the club years ago, because it not only recognises the achievement, it also acknowledges the legacy they left behind.