Katie McCabe: The gifted kid from Kilnamanagh chasing Champions League glory

The 42

23-05-2025

IRELAND'S KATIE MCCABE is playing in the Champions League final tomorrow.
Read that again.
This is a huge deal. A truly exceptional achievement.
It doesn't often happen that an Irish player features on the biggest stage, let alone stars. McCabe is a key cog on an Arsenal team contesting their first European final since 2007.
Emma Byrne, Ciara Grant and Yvonne Tracy won the Uefa Women's Cup with the Gunners 18 years ago, overcoming Swedish heavyweights Umeå en route to an unprecedented quadruple.
McCabe will now hope to follow in their footsteps, as back-to-back champions Barcelona await in the decider in Lisbon [KO 5pm Irish time, TNT Sports 1].
In her tenth year at Arsenal, the Dubliner will become the first Irish international to play in a Champions League final since John O'Shea with Manchester United in 2009. Caoimhín Kelleher was Liverpool's reserve goalkeeper in 2019 and 2022.
But McCabe is a mainstay for this Arsenal team. One of the first names in the XI, she is a totemic figure on and off the pitch, and will have a huge say in proceedings if she is to etch her name into history.
How someone has emerged from the much derided Irish system, which has failed to produce many elite players in recent years, with international teams often struggling, is truly remarkable.
Somehow, some way, here we have one who has become a linchpin for a leading club in world football, competing on one of the biggest stages of them all.
*****
It all began in a busy family home in Kilnamanagh. One of 11 siblings — somewhere in the middle of seven girls and four boys — McCabe was always part of a team. Football was a staple, played everywhere and anywhere, with their father, Gary, often involved.
The oldest brother, also Gary, was a budding young talent, and Katie — seven years his junior — really caught the bug when she first watched him play an organised game for local club, Kilnamanagh AFC.
McCabe celebrates after scoring for Raheny United in 2013. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
As the future League of Ireland winger rose through the ranks at Crumlin United, he'd regularly bring his five-year-old sister to the field for a kickabout. She was 'really good for a girl,' Gary would say. Similar remarks followed when she joined the boys' team at Kilnamanagh aged seven or eight. McCabe was one of two girls involved.
'Katie was always well able to get stuck in,' as Eamon Connaughton, the coach of her first team, once told The 42.
'When we went out to play games, the other team would be looking at each other going, 'There's girls on this team, they must be crap.' By the end of the game, they'd change their mind.'
Her potential was immediately clear, that left foot striking. Connaughton saw shades of Liam Brady in how the young winger shielded the ball and held others off. Unsurprisingly, she'd never pull out of a tackle, and was 'an old head on young shoulders' in terms of control and game intelligence.
'It was a natural thing in her, it wasn't something you had to teach her. I think it was always in her to go far in football, it was just instilled in her from the start.'
Whether on the road outside her house or on the pitch in Kilnamanagh, early in the morning or late at night, McCabe was always out kicking a ball. An all rounder, she was also a talented Gaelic and basketball player in primary school, but football had her heart.
McCabe (top left) with her Tempelogue United team. Caroline McCaul. Caroline McCaul.
After a stint with Crumlin, the move to girls' football came at Under-12 level with Templeogue United. When Dad Gary wasn't available to take her to training, coach Caroline McCaul did the honours. Every collection time, without fail, McCabe would be waiting at the door, boots in hand.
'Ball, Katie, off you went,' as she told The 42 in an interview before the World Cup.
Like Connaughton, McCaul was bowled over by her raw talent. 'Katie came fully formed. What coaching can you do on somebody who's just naturally gifted?'
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For all of her aptitude and ability, her humility, will to learn and unselfishness always stood out as open goals were passed up to assist team-mates. 'Katie was always very quiet. There was no, 'I'm gonna be rich and famous or a star,' or anything like that.'
But she was intent on being a footballer. When asked about future careers in school, her classmates spoke of wishes to be doctors and nurses, and despite teachers' best efforts to temper expectations, McCabe gave only one answer.
Her star continued to rise and she first announced herself on the national stage at the 2008 Gaynor Cup, helping a south Dublin selection to victory and landing the Golden Boot. Gary was soon driving her to Ireland trials, and she was called up to the U15s.
McCabe (third from right, front row) with her 2008 Gaynor Cup winning team. Chloe Mustaki is bottom left. Caroline McCaul. Caroline McCaul.
Around that same time, following a spell with St Joseph's, McCabe began training with Raheny United, who later amalgamated with Shelbourne. She couldn't sign or play until she was 16, but was involved from 15 on.
Former Pandas manager Casey McQuillan recalls a cheeky and confident youngster, who lit up the Women's National League from its inaugural season of 2011. Across three campaigns, she scored a shedload of goals, often in a free role, to help Raheny to two league titles, three successive FAI Cups, and some memorable Champions League days.
Little did she know what lay ahead a decade or so later. . .
The major breakthrough arrived in 2014 — after a nasty leg break. McCabe recovered as her Ireland U19 side made history and reached the semi-finals of the European Championships that summer, and in the November, her first viral 'banger' helped Raheny to FAI Cup glory at the Aviva Stadium.
That sensational 35-yard free-kick further commanded the attention of English clubs and American colleges: this kid from Kilnamanagh was special. A call from Chelsea — the club she grew up supporting, idolising Damien Duff – left her 'freaking out,' while interest from Arsenal was similarly insane.
Not long beforehand, McCabe watched her first women's football game on TV and thought, 'I want to do that'. It was the 2013 FA Cup final: Byrne, Grant and Tracy triumphant with the all-conquering Gunners. A mind-blowing trip to the Emirates Stadium and London Colney with the Ireland U17s was another foreshadowing experience.
But Raheny (later Shels) was her focus, as well as a FÁS course after finishing school and taking a part-time job in Nando's in Tallaght, grilling chicken.
International ambitions burned bright too, and she made her Ireland senior debut under Sue Ronan in March 2015, against Hungary at the Istria Cup.
Emma Byrne became a team-mate, mentor and friend, and as Arsenal's interest intensified, she sold the North London dream. 'Keep your phone on' the legendary goalkeeper urged, a statement which confused McCabe until Pedro Martínez Losa called mid pre-match pitch walk in Castlebar one Saturday.
Just before Christmas 2015, McCabe signed for Arsenal at the age of 20. She turned down offers from Chelsea, Manchester City and Glasgow City to agree a two-year deal.
Losa welcomed 'a fantastic young talent, who is full of potential,' while the new arrival told The 42: 'I'm confident enough to believe I'm capable of succeeding so I'll give it my best shot and see where it takes me.'
McCabe with Arsenal boss Pedro Martínez Losa. Arsenal FC. Arsenal FC.
Byrne was a constant through the early transition: Arsenal's number one picked her up at Luton Airport and brought her for her first food shop, as she moved into a house of five or six in St Alban's, which included Jordan Nobbs.
Excitement was the feeling early doors, but apprehension soon set in in a dressing room stacked with Arsenal and England legends. McCabe has said it many times through the years: she went from a big fish in a small pond, to a small fish in a big pond.
And she was drowning at times.
'I hated it,' McCabe recently told former team-mate Farah Williams on her podcast Boots, Balls & Bras, detailing her struggles with homesickness and expectation. Professional football was a whole different sphere. She made her debut away to Birmingham City in March 2016, but couldn't break into the team, and often the squad, due to inconsistency and injury.
Six or seven months in, her older sister Vanessa received a call with one simple message: 'I'm coming home.' She was talked out of that, but did consider leaving Arsenal. Options were weighed up by player and club, and a crucial loan move to Glasgow City followed in August 2017.
That same month, McCabe became Ireland's youngest-ever captain, succeeding Byrne in the role. She first thought she was in trouble when Colin Bell rang while on holiday, and there was no hesitation answering the unexpected question.
McCabe walking out as Ireland captain in 2018 with her sister, Lauryn, who is rising the ranks at Bohemian FC. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
The Irish team was always a safe haven, and Glasgow became one too. She found enjoyment again at the Scottish heavyweights, feeling at home alongside former Raheny and Shels team-mates Noelle Murray and Keeva Keenan, and Savannah McCarthy. An 11th consecutive league title and further Champions League experience were highlights, but rediscovering her love for football was the big takeaway.
The recall to Arsenal in November 2017 came with a two-week window to prove herself to new manager, Joe Montemurro, and earn a contract extension. Against the odds, and despite the doubts, she secured her club future. And much more.
Montemurro transformed McCabe from a winger to a left-back, and her versatility became a key asset for the Gunners. She matured greatly under the Australian, and began to establish herself as one of the top players in the Women's Super League.
Goals, assists and recognition flowed, the Arsenal fan favourite repeatedly lavished with chants of, 'We've got McCabe'. Her passion, and tendency to play on the edge, is embraced by the North London faithful, but often berated by others.
McCabe played every single game as Arsenal won the 2018/19 title, with Louise Quinn also involved, while the FA Cup (2015/16) and League Cup (2018, 2023 and 2024) are other team honours won.
The individual ones are plentiful; 2022/23 Champions League Team of the Season, and Ballon D'Or and Fifa Best nominations among the top-end accolades, while bids have reportedly come in from Chelsea and Lyon through the years.
Champions League semi-final celebrations after overcoming Lyon. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo
McCabe's Arsenal rise has been enthralling, and while she further developed as a player, person and leader under Jonas Eidevall and Renée Slegers, much of it is down to Montemurro's positional switch.
Before departing in 2021, he paid a glowing tribute. 'Katie McCabe is one of the highlights of the last three or four years here. It's been a project which has been an exciting one.
'She's been thrown every challenge from the day that we brought her back from her loan, and I think she's just developed into a world-class left-sided player. All credit to her, she personifies exactly what we want from our squad.'
Aside from a period where she was out of favour under Eidevall, McCabe has been a mainstay for Arsenal through good times and bad. Same applies for Ireland, with the highs and lows on that front — and her importance to the team — well documented.
From Liberty Hall to a first World Cup in Australia in 2023, the journey has been unparalleled. She is closing in on centurion status, with 95 caps and 29 goals to her name, and a legacy cemented regardless of what follows.
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The Katie McCabe Effect is evident across Ireland and beyond, but particularly tangible in Tallaght.
While there were just two girls on her team back in the day, Kilnamanagh AFC fielded 14 girls' teams in 2022. That number is likely higher now.
Connaughton, her former coach, put much of the growth down to McCabe, who he says, never forgets her roots.
'She's an idol. It's like a film star coming home when she's down at the ground!'
The same goes for at Ireland and Arsenal games, the adoration from most fans unquestionable. Stadiums are awash with 'McCabe 11′ jerseys, and her name is routinely met with the loudest cheer when the teams are read out pre-match.
But her divisiveness is undeniable. Social media commentary is staggering at times, ramping up in the aftermath of the 2023 World Cup and Vera Pauw's controversial exit. Her persona and behaviour, on and off the pitch, is regularly under the microscope, and it's fair to say she splits opinion.
McCabe has scored some memorable goals for Ireland. Tom Maher / INPHO Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
McCabe has been open about her sexuality and relationships, and it's used against her in some quarters, but enhances her role model status in others.
Her aggressive, heart-on-the sleeve approach polarises — and is consistently central to refereeing decisions and game talking points.
Parallels are often drawn with Roy Keane, and those comparisons heightened amidst the World Cup fallout.
Whatever your thoughts, playing in a Champions League final is an undeniable vindication of McCabe's talent and dedicated nature.
It's something that happens for so few footballers, in particular ones from this island where the opportunities to develop into an elite-level player are not plentiful.
Yet there is one absurdly skilful kid from Kilnamanagh who has managed to graft and hustle and elevate herself to the very pinnacle of the global game. The odds of McCabe making it from there to here you couldn't even begin to calculate.
Who would bet against her now?