Renée Slegers is never the first to celebrate personal success, always opting to celebrate those around her first. But it was announced this week that she’d picked up the League Managers Association (LMA) John Duncan award, which is given to a manager who has achieved something significant in their field. 

In this instance, Slegers received the award for leading Arsenal to UEFA Women’s Champions League victory.

The Arsenal Women head coach spoke to The Gooner during her recent press conference about winning the award and what it meant to her. 

“It was a special moment,” she said. “Because I could share that moment with other coaches that were there.” 

Ever humble, she continued: 

“I had really good interactions with a couple of others and shared some experiences, so that was really nice. 

“But yeah, you’re right, because you do things together, and if I wanted to do something alone, I shouldn’t be in football, because this is a team sport, so we’ve done that together, so I will always be uncomfortable when I have to pick things up by myself. 

“It’s always a team performance for me, and I say that from the bottom of my heart, because I think that sounds like a cliché, but I really feel that way.”