Who is Katie McCabe? The Irish Arsenal star playing in Champions League final
The dreams just keep turning into reality for Katie McCabe and she is absolutely loving it.
Captain of her country at 21, league champion of Ireland, Scotland and England by her 23rd birthday, tonight she becomes the fourth Irish woman to play in a Champions League final.
Not just that - in all, since Tony Dunne and Shay Brennan played in the 1968 European Cup final for Manchester United, just 13 players have played in European football's biggest stage. McCabe becomes No14 in Lisbon.
She said: 'As a kid, you looked at the men's Champions League finals back in the day when the women's final was not on TV. So for us as a club, to be there, it is special.'
Yet so is her story.
One of 11 kids, she has had her hard times, like when a leg-break stopped her getting a football scholarship to Florida State University, like when she had to work in Nandos while living with her parents and pursuing a dream.
She tells a funny story about when Arsenal first called. She was 19 at the time, playing for Shels. They were due to face Castlebar when her phone rang. Pedro Leso was the man calling, the then Arsenal manager.
'It is safe to say I shat myself,' was McCabe's recollection of that phone call, her Tallaght wit shining through.
She wasn't going to say no, not when the Irish connection was evident, Emma Byrne, Ciara Grant and Yvonne Treacy being the first Irish players to feature in a women's Champions League final, 18 years ago.
As a 15-year-old she watched the three Irish girls play in the 2010 FA Cup final, the only women's match screened on TV that year.
'I remember seeing Emma Byrne playing in that game and thinking I wanted to be like that,' she would later say. 'I wanted to be playing professionally and in cup finals, playing on TV and having my name on the back of my shirt, that kind of thing.'
That was easier said than done. Leso, the man who signed her, used her as a bit -part player, prompting McCabe to go to Scotland on loan, where she won a league with Glasgow City before returning to find Leso was gone and her confidence was back.
And she hasn't looked back. Unexpectedly named Ireland captain by Colin Bell when she was just 21, she worked tirelessly for issues close to her heart, securing an equal pay deal for men and women when they represented Ireland, in tandem with Seamus Coleman.
On LGBTQ issues she has been unafraid to voice her opinion, coming out as gay at an early stage in her career. Then, on occasion, she has criticised the FAI, doing so at press conferences inside the Association's headquarters, winning respect for her independence.
Then there's everything she stands for as a player. Her record of 21 goals from 96 internationals is unheard of for a left-back. Check out her stats. She is joint fifth in terms of most assists in the women's national league, possessing an 84 per cent pass ratio.
Yet she is also joint second on the list of most yellow cards, highlighting the fact she plays with an edge - more of a Roy Keane than a Robbie Keane.
As a player, she's outstanding, versatile, technically sound, superb at set-pieces, strong in the tackle, easily one of the best left backs in the world.
And as a sports star she is commercially aware, the biggest recipient of sponsorship deals in the Ireland squad, their most marketable star as well as their best player.
Yet, at 29, this is the prize she wants.
In an interview with Sky Sports this week, she said: 'Leading the girls out with Ireland at the World Cup was definitely a highlight but this is up there from a club point of view if not the best.
'Champions League is what you play football for.
'It has been 18 years since we have been there. We have had seasons without Champions League football. For us to get to that last stage is really exciting. It has been a journey. There is a picture of Emma, Ciara sand Yvonne with the Irish flag after winning the Champions League with Arsenal all those years ago.
'I would do anything to have that chance.'
Tonight she may well get her opportunity, for while Barcelona are hot favourites, having won three of the last four Champions Leagues, Arsenal have their own strengths.
'We have to respect them,' McCabe said. 'They have won three of the last four finals. The football they played against Chelsea and Wolfsburg was class. But we have to have no fear. We will be absolutely focused on ourselves but also respect the fact they are a fantastic football team.'
Yet so are the Gunners.
Tonight they are chasing history with their 29-year-old Dubliner leading the charge.
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