'Feet like Velcro' - Arsenal's low-key, high-grade superstar

Kim Little doesn't opportunity overmuch publicly. She doesn't station overmuch connected societal media. In truth, she doesn't request to.

A profession of letting her feet do nan talking intends location are plentifulness of team-mates and coaches consenting to outcry from nan rooftops astir her greatness.

A TikTok video of her Arsenal team-mates talking astir her said it all.

"Greatest midfielder of each time" was mentioned.

"Legend" was thrown successful there.

And nan connection "underrated" came up much than once.

Little will skipper Arsenal successful Saturday's Champions League last astatine nan property of 34 aft a stellar 19-year career, yet seldom takes immoderate headlines.

Even successful her autochthonal Scotland, her talents person been somewhat nether appreciated.

The truth she retired from nationalist work successful 2021, while still playing astatine nan apical level, has ne'er been overmuch discussed aliases scrutinised moreover arsenic Scotland person stumbled severely successful her absence.

But her player-of-the-match show successful nan Champions League semi-final demolition of Lyon emphasised conscionable what a prima she is.

"Kim Little is an unbelievable footballer who goes nether nan radar each nan time," her team-mate and England skipper Leah Williamson said aft nan 4-1 distant triumph against eight-time champions Lyon.

"Unfortunately, nan world shape didn't supply her pinch immoderate of these unthinkable opportunities but she's a subordinate worthy of 7 aliases 8 Champions League titles."

So what makes Little truthful typical successful nan eyes of team-mates?

The show against Lyon epitomised her all-around spot arsenic a midfielder.

She recovered abstraction to get Arsenal moving, while getting stuck successful and arriving into nan container to get successful positions to score.

Former England striker Ellen White played pinch Little during her first spell astatine Arsenal - arsenic good arsenic pinch Great Britain astatine nan Olympics - and came up against her successful nan Women's Super League too.

"I don't want to propulsion this connection astir a batch pinch players, but she is an absolute legend," White said connected BBC 5 Live's Women's Football Weekly podcast.

"She is nan GOAT. She is unbelievable. Her method ability, her shot intelligence. Her feet are for illustration Velcro, nan shot conscionable sticks to her. But past her timing of runs into nan container arsenic well.

"She's a phenomenal leader. She doesn't scream. She doesn't shout. She lets her shot do nan talking. It's her presence."

Jen Beattie was a team-mate astatine Arsenal and Scotland and besides believes Little's quiet activity and cognition thief to make her truthful good.

"She leads by illustration - she doesn't overly talk negative, but she's solution-focused," said Beattie.

"She's nan benignant of personification that you look to during nan lucifer and beryllium like, really do we lick this? What do you deliberation of that? And she'd ever beryllium truthful calm and collected."

The professionalism that anyone who knows Little speaks of has helped her person unthinkable longevity astatine nan apical level.

She signed for Arsenal successful 2008 and made her Scotland debut astatine 16, winning titles and PFA players' subordinate of nan twelvemonth grant successful 2013.

During successful spells successful nan United States and Australia successful betwixt her stints astatine Arsenal, she played pinch immoderate of nan world's best.

US goalkeeper Hope Solo called her "the astir talented subordinate I person ever played" pinch successful 2016.

Nine years on, she is still doing it, and is heading towards 400 Arsenal appearances, having signed a caller woody to nan extremity of adjacent season.

"The crippled has evidently changed dramatically complete nan clip I've been playing," Little told BBC Scotland's Behind nan Goals podcast.

"The training has increased, nan velocity and level person been increased, and I've ever been very alert of nan beingness requirements I request to enactment astatine nan highest level."

Listen to Kim Little connected nan Behind nan Goals podcast

21/05/25

But it has not conscionable been astir maintaining her beingness condition. Little has adapted her crippled done her career.

Early on, she was a goal-scoring number 10 and regularly deed double figures successful a season. Only 5 players person scored much than Little successful Women's Champions League history.

But passim her clip pinch Scotland, erstwhile they often played without nan ball, she took connected much work successful defence and for starting attacks.

In nan twilight of her nine profession she has taken connected a akin role, while ne'er losing nan knack of timing awesome runs into nan box, arsenic demonstrated by her extremity successful nan 4-3 triumph complete Manchester United connected nan last time of nan Women's Super League season.

This season, uncertainty was creeping successful for immoderate astir her expertise to run successful nan bosom of Arsenal's midfield, peculiarly fixed her age, their beardown squad and immoderate lingering wounded issues.

"It was frustrating erstwhile group were questioning erstwhile she had immoderate fewer niggles and was getting backmost fresh but her position is built for her," White said.

"And she conscionable bosses that midfield pinch her intelligence, her footballing ability, her presence, her talent, her activity qualities arsenic well."

When Little amazingly announced her world status successful 2021 aft earning 140 caps and scoring 59 goals, she said it was thing she had been reasoning astir "for a while".

Having yet sewage to play astatine a World Cup successful 2019 - she missed Euro 2017 done wounded - it is possibly understandable she felt she had scaled nan upland pinch nan nationalist side.

Prolonging her nine profession must person been a facet and leaving besides opened up much clip successful nan almanac for different things - and Little has now gone done immoderate of her coaching badges.

However, location was sometimes a proposal quitting was partially down to immoderate dissatisfaction pinch nan Scottish FA's perceived deficiency of attraction connected nan women's side.

Whether that is nan lawsuit aliases not, Little has been a large miss connected nan pitch.

It is difficult to ideate her ability, activity and large crippled acquisition would not person made a quality successful play-off defeats by Republic of Ireland and Finland - sides Scotland were astatine slightest level pinch successful position of squad quality.

The truth nan country's champion subordinate has been absent has not been arsenic intimately scrutinised arsenic mightiness person been expected, particularly fixed nan caller deficiency of success.

And though a return astatine 34 seems unlikely, caller caput coach Melissa Andreatta did opportunity she would for illustration to "connect with" Little.

Now, though, Little's attraction is purely connected trying to get nan amended of a formidable Barcelona broadside successful Saturday's Champions League final.

The Catalan nine person won 3 of nan past 4 editions of nan tournament, and boast Spanish World Cup winners and superstars Aitana Bonmati, Patri Guijarro and Alexia Putellas.

It is nan eventual trial successful women's shot arsenic a midfielder to return them connected - and Little and Arsenal will request their champion performance.

She joined nan nine nan play aft they past won nan title successful 2007, and 17 years connected will get nan chance to spell for nan title herself.

"I deliberation everyone saw really affectional she was [after nan semi-final]," Beattie said.

"She's worked truthful difficult her full career. [She is] 35 this summertime and still she's not past her prime.

"She will beryllium successful her premier until she retires - whenever she chooses to do that. It is simply a in installments to her. She afloat deserves it."