Arsenal Women head coach Renée Slegers has become the second manager to lead the Gunners to Champions League glory, after her side beat holders Barcelona 1-0 in Lisbon.

Slegers replaced Jonas Eidevall initially in interim charge in October 2024, becoming permanent head coach in January, and taking Arsenal to the final in the process along with a second-place league finish.

Slegers introduced Beth Mead and Stina Blackstenius from the bench in the second half against Barcelona, and the two combined to score the decisive goal as Blackstenius wrote her name into the history books.

Asked by the Gooner Fanzine about how much she is looking forward to celebrating with Arsenal’s fans outside Emirates Stadium on Monday, Slegers said:

“So much, because I was at the club in 2007 so I have a little bit of an idea where the club comes from. And I had lunch with Vic Akers this week and it was fantastic to see him and bring a perspective. 

“I think there's so many people that have been investing for such a long time so I'm just a very small part of it. There's so many people that have done much more, across more time and had to be resilient in the background, wanting to push it forward. 

“And thank you so much to all those people. I'm happy about that, because if you achieve something by yourself, that's great. But if you achieve something together, that's much greater. And together with the fans, they couldn't stop going now after the game. It's such a special moment to share this with so many people.”