Leah Williamson made honest financial admission before Lionesses' Euro 2025 success
England captain Leah Williamson has previously highlighted the glaring financial disparity between men's and women's football. The 28-year-old has steered the Lionesses to two European Championship victories following their triumph over Spain in the Euro 2025 final on penalties, establishing herself as an England legend.
Williamson has remained loyal to Arsenal throughout her career, with whom she celebrated Champions League success last season. The defender has also won the WSL title alongside six other domestic trophies during her time with the Gunners.
At international level, she guided England to glory on home soil at Euro 2022 and helped the team retain the trophy in Switzerland. However, Williamson previously acknowledged that she had already started preparing for her post-football future, as, unlike numerous male players, she won't have the luxury of immediate retirement at the end of her playing days.
"There are some elements of the women's game that need to catch up," Williamson told The Times last year. "I'm not earning enough to retire after my playing career, so I'm still aiming to complete my accountancy studies in case I need something to fall back on.
"The women's game still has to grow, but when I'm playing for Arsenal we get crowds of 35,000, more than some of the men's Premier League teams. Am I bitter? There's no point. I just hope the next generation doesn't have to deal with the same problems."
According to Hello! Magazine, Williamson reportedly earns £150,000 per year at Arsenal. While this is a substantial wage, it will only last for the duration of her playing career and remains just a small portion of what most Premier League stars command.
Williamson encountered additional obstacles early in her career that male footballers never have to overcome. The England captain's first team was a boys' side, Scot Youth, due to the scarcity of girls' teams, and Williamson's participation frequently sparked controversy.
"Initially I felt so uncomfortable, but then I scored six goals in the first 15 minutes and all the other boys wanted me in the team," Williamson recalled. "That first season with Scots was when I really fell in love with the game.
"Sadly, things weren't so easy when we played other teams. You could see these lads thinking, 'She's a girl!' And some parents were even worse. If I was running rings around one of the visiting players, you could hear their dad screaming from the sidelines, 'How can you let a girl do that?' This was supposed to be fun but you had kids in tears because I'd stopped them scoring.
"There was one game where the word had obviously gone round that I had to be 'taken out' and the studs were coming in very high. Suddenly, a fight broke out on the touchline, all the parents having a go at each other. I saw mum standing way out of it, just shaking her head. All because I was a girl and a decent player.
"It was worse when my mum was a kid. She had to pretend she was a boy even to get a game. She had the skills but teams weren't interested. Thankfully, things are much better now and I'd like to think our success at the Euros played a part in that. The final felt like a turning point - 87,000 people at Wembley for us."
The Lionesses have ushered in an era of success and Williamson played her part at Euro 2025, featuring for the full 120 minutes as England triumphed over Spain on penalties, despite the defender missing her effort in the shootout.
The squad's homecoming with the trophy saw the England team receive a reception at Downing Street and be celebrated by supporters during an open-top bus celebration on Tuesday. Their victory in Switzerland marks the first time an England senior side have won a tournament on foreign soil.
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Lionesses Bring It Home Again - Souvenir Edition
Sarina Wiegman's legends have made history and brought football home once more after defending their title and winning Euro 2025 in Switzerland. We have produced this special souvenir edition of the Women's Football News.
It is crammed with interviews with the Lionesses, special features, their match-by-match road to glory as well as dozens of amazing images. Click here to buy
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