_After Arsenal paraded the Champions League trophy in front of their fans at Emirates Stadium on Monday, Leah Williamson spoke to Arseblog News and a few other outlets. With thanks to The Sun’s Sandra Brobbey for the transcription. The questions from Arseblog News are italicised._
_**On Saturday evening there are a lot of Arsenal fans there, but just how special is it to come back here today and share it with even more Arsenal fans and does that help it to sink in what you done?**_
I think it sunk in when I turned around and saw on the stadium the honouring of the previous team that did it and then computing in my head that that’s what we did. The fact that everybody came out, what we’ve done as a club in the last couple years is so unbelievable and the amount of people that are invested in this team it has been so nice to bring it home. Raising a Champions League trophy on Armoury Square, that is not something I ever thought would be possible so I’m just so happy.
_**And like leading into the game talking about how Arsenal play, Barcelona more than anyone in Europe force you to play a different way at times, but how important was it for you guys in that game to be yourselves?**_
Well, we spoke about it because there was a game plan and there was a plan A, plan B, plan C, as there always is and what it came down to is everybody spoke up and said that we wanted to be as much like ourselves as possible, whilst respecting them and I think that’s what we saw.
**I really want to know what went through your head when that extra time of seven minutes came on the board.**
I thought was fair, maybe not fair, I was expecting it, we were there to play 100, 110 if we needed it. It was rugged defending from everyone like everyone put in a shift, you could see wingers chasing back strikers chasing back everyone put their bodies on the line. I think the game plan always is that we want to be the hardest working team in the world and I don’t think there’s many club teams that can tell me otherwise. The effort from my teammates, not just defenders, strikers backwards, it’s unbelievable. The outputs that we can do. But to be honest, it’s more about us being mentally on it against Barcelona. It was a collaboration of everybody, everything, all of us. The strap line was ‘all of us, all in’. That’s what you saw.
**When the goal went in and was disallowed, how do you think that made you feel on the pitch?**
I just used it as an opportunity to connect with the bench and keep on pushing. To me, one goal turned out to be enough, but I would never be satisfied with one anyway. So to me it was like, what’s going well? What do we carry on? But it would have been nice, wouldn’t it? We could hear the Arsenal fans, I could hear the whistles as well from Barca. It felt like an away game in that sense, but I suppose that means you’re doing something well.
_**How important was getting through the first 20 minutes without conceding?**_
Yeah, that was really important for us, the first phase of the game, we know it’s their strength. We were expecting it, I think you saw it in the way that we played as well, we bypassed quite a bit, throughout the game, but especially in those moments, to not give them anything and for us to grow into the game as much as we could. The longer the game went on at 0-0, the less confidence they had and the more ours grew, but those first 20 minutes, you saw it, everybody was on job, the distances were tight and it was it was hot, it was hard for us, you’ve got to think, we don’t play in those temperatures, they do. So it just felt like… you know when you just feel like you’ve got to move mountains to do what you need to do but you know you can, it’s just whether or not you can turn up on a day. That’s what everybody kept saying. If we turned up on a day and did us, we had a chance and we took it.
**You spent so much time on the pitch regulating your emotions, what was that release of emotions like at the end?**
That’s why the tears come I think, just because, and I had some tears on the plane the day before, the hotel, just some messages and people talking to me and I always said, ‘trophy for England over the trophy for Arsenal’ because I just think you don’t pick your country, it’s a bit more of a fate thing, a bit more luck needs to be involved. But I feel ashamed now because that feeling yesterday was, I think right now, the happiest I’ve ever been in my whole entire life and I hope that other Arsenal fans are because I know I lived a dream, I never take it for granted.
**What’s the last 48 hours been like?**
Trying to make it sink in, genuinely just trying to figure out what’s happened, trying to remember. I’ve watched every bit of footage and everything just so it lives lives as long as possible in my memory and just connecting with loads of people like Tessa Payne, she was my under 10s, my first coach, she spoke to me like reconnecting with all those old faces and all those people that have seen the journey over the years and then people that just know how much I love Arsenal and know how much this would mean to me if I was not on the pitch.
**You’ve won everything, how does that motivate you to do more?**
I haven’t, I got a World Cup to win.
**I meant with Arsenal?**
It’s funny because leading up to it you think, ‘oh just get this’ and like that’ll be it and then as soon as you do it, you get hungrier and then you see the capabilities as well, like now you have the belief, you have the evidence, so who’s to say there’s not more to come?
**What do you think about that journey from when you were coming out as the mascot at this moment? I mean how does it feel emotionally for you and just thinking about the journey you’ve been on?**
I think professionally a lot of people would say that you should move (clubs) and you should test yourself in different environments and I’ve probably made it harder for myself staying in the same place and trying to get more out of myself every year. It’s so hard.
The environment doesn’t necessarily change and with the same faces, same people, I’m comfortable in that sense. And then you get a day like Saturday and I’m like this is why, because winning a Champions League final for Arsenal, it just wouldn’t mean the same anywhere else as it would here.
My dreams came true. I don’t ever talk about wanting anything on a football pitch, I think it’s dangerous, there’s so much out of your control, like you could be at your best but if somebody else’s best is better than you, that’s what it is.
**How satisfying also because it’s like a classic Arsenal win and I’ve seen comp videos of your performance. How much does it mean to you to win in that manner when you consider what Arsenal means, the heritage, how fans see the club and how fans see you?**
I think we just played smart and we had to get the bits out of our game that were smart and then the bits that are non-negotiable which is the defensive part. People had the game of their lives and I genuinely don’t know anybody that put a foot wrong in terms of the game plan and what it was meant to be. So just to win as us, doing what we do and just being smart enough to do it as well. We weren’t naive and we played like we were playing four of them (Barcelona teams at once) and I think that’s impressive
**What’s it like to see the fan base just embrace the trophy and the win like in such a one club way, everywhere I’ve looked, it’s been Arsenal champions of Europe?**
You look at today and the turnout and if you think about what we’ve done over the last couple of years and how we’ve positioned ourselves and how the club have positioned us in terms of a respect point of view. And then to collaborate that with a trophy win, it’s like we did our bit and I think the work that’s been done behind the scenes for the last couple of years is world leading. Now there’s a trophy to match that which I’m very proud of that.
The positioning of it and the respect even with this event and stuff like this, it’s what should happen and it’s what needs to happen. This is the stuff that makes you stay and want to come back. I expect our attendance next year to get a little spike now it’s not. It’s not done us any any harm.
**How many times have you watched back any clips?**
Everything I see, anything that comes up.
**Have you seen the compilations of you in the match?**
I haven’t seen those. My algorithm’s not serving me properly! It’s probably because I normally stay away from that kind of stuff. I just want to see the footage. The great thing is when you win is anybody can say anything, but it doesn’t matter because the medal is around my neck and that lasts forever.
**Talk about that moment at the final whistle with you and Kim. That was quite beautiful.**
I dropped my knees because of the tears and I was tired to be honest. and then straightaway I went to look for Kim and then she was right in front of my face, but we were just we were sobbing and then Wally (Lia Walti) came over. We’re best friends, we look after each other and we’ve had to take care of each other in some tough, tough times over the last couple of years and honestly I couldn’t be prouder. Kim Little is everything and more and everything that I would want to be as a person, so I’m just glad (for her) because you don’t get recognized sometimes and sometimes that’s unjust. But you need to win trophies and you need to win the biggest things to get what you deserve and Kim deserves everything.
**Are you starting the Kim Little Ballon d’Or campaign then?**
She would have had four by now if it was up to me.
**How pleasing is it that it’s Arsenal who have won the Champions League considering the role they play in the growth of the women’s game?**
I think it’s just. It feels just to me. They were one of the first to really invest and have stayed in the game and stayed consistent and continuously pushed whilst everybody around them is pushing as well. It’s a changing world and we’ve managed to stay at the top throughout all of that and not as high as we want to be but they get the next one as well and that they still are (a top club) I’m proud of that and that we’re only in team in the land (to have won the Women’s Champions League). It’s a thing to be proud of. I don’t play football to make other people unhappy, I play to make people happy and I care about my people. And anybody that’s Arsenal – red and white – is going to have a summer to remember now and it’s for that.
**How good is it to reassert Arsenal’s authority as like the most decorated team in English football history and that that’s not like a historical thing anymore?**
You have to win trophies, you have to and I’m so proud of what we do off the pitch, who we are, how we lead and how we carry ourselves. I’m so proud of that but I want to win and Arsenal should be winning. I’ve looked at that legacy all my life. I’ve been aware of that all my life and I wanted to contribute to it. I didn’t want to end my career just being loyal. Loyalty is great but loyalty with trophies is just something else. This week I’ve spoken to Tony Adams and Thierry Henry, people I watched and they were incredible and they won and that’s why they are remembered the way they are.
**What about your journey back from injury as well, because it’s not been the smoothest at times and then to put in the performance you did in the finals. How much do you reflect on that??**
I keep my head down. No one ever knows what’s going on behind the scenes. I was only fully fit from illness or injury in November last year. You know what I mean and I came back in January, so it’s fine. I keep my head down, keep trying my best and keep working. The people around me support me and know how to support me and I knew that I had the capability in that final to do it. My body was capable to do whatever I needed it to do and it did.