'The missing ingredient' - Leah Williamson hails Sarina Wiegman after England's Euro 2022 triumph
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Published 01/08/2022 at 14:09 GMT+1
Sarina Wiegman guided the Lionesses to their first major trophy, adding a second consecutive Euros crown to her collection having won the tournament with her native Netherlands in 2017. "She is a special person and puts us first as human beings," Leah Williamson said of her manager, who dedicated the victory to her late sister, who passed away recently.
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Leah Williamson has hailed England manager Sarina Wiegman as the "missing ingredient" that the Lionesses needed after securing a Euro 2022 triumph.
Wiegman guided her side to their first major trophy, with substitute Chloe Kelly striking late in extra-time to seal a 2-1 win against Germany at Wembley.
It meant the Dutch manager retained the continental crown having led her native Netherlands to European Championship victory in 2017, becoming the first manager to win the Euros with two different countries.
Wiegman only took charge of England last September but has not yet watched her side lose a game in the role.
Williamson, appointed permanent captain in April, described her manager as a "special person".
"She is the missing ingredient England were looking for," Williamson said at England's trophy parade in London's Trafalgar Square.
"She has brought us all together. She is a special person and puts us first as human beings."
In 20 games under Wiegman, England have scored more than 100 goals and conceded only five times.
Kelly's winner was their 22nd goal of the tournament - a record tally, exceeding Germany's total from 2009.
One of Wiegman's first actions in the moments after the full-time whistle was to kiss a bracelet on her wrist, and the 52-year-old later explained that this was a tribute to her late sister.
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"I'm kissing this little armband that was my sister's," Wiegman said. "My sister passed away during our prep camps.
"That's a really big miss, because she's my mate.
"She would have been here, she went to every game, so she would have been really proud of me, and I was really proud of her too."
The final of the tournament was played in front of more than 87,000 people, a record for any European Championship game.
Total attendances for the tournament more than doubled the previous record.
"We have changed the game in this country," Williamson commented on a potentially transformative campaign. "We said we wanted to make our legacy about winning and we did.
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"The legacy of the tournament was already made before that final game, what we've done for women and young girls that can look up and inspire to be us.
"I think England have hosted an incredible tournament and we've changed the game in this country and hopefully across Europe and across the world. But we said we wanted to make our legacy about winning and that's what we did."
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