Why this Arsenal star says winning the Champions League was “weird” | OneFootball

Frida L Maanum (12 Arsenal) celebrating her goal during the UEFA Champions League Round 1 match between Arsenal and Rosenborg at Meadow Park Stadium, Borehamwood, London, England on Saturday 7th September 2024. (Bettina Weissensteiner / SPP)

Arsenal’s Frida Maanum says that winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League last season put the squad in a “weird situation”.

In an interview with the club’s official website, she said that after the victory over Barcelona in Lisbon, the squad had little time to celebrate as a group before they joined up with their national teams.

“I still don’t think the fact that we won the Champions League has fully sunk in yet,” she said. “We still get reminders here and there when others mention it but, as a group, we don’t really speak about it that much.

“It was a weird situation in that we won, came back to the Emirates to celebrate and then immediately left each other for national team camps. We basically didn’t see each other for three months and I think that impacted how much we could continue the celebrations.

“I also think it’s a good thing that the trophy doesn’t define us now. Of course, we still remember it, but we have to remain humble and work hard so that we can keep winning titles. That’s what we’re striving for as a club and as a team.”

Frida Maanum: Everything is possible for Arsenal

And despite the Gunners’ rocky start to the season, Maanum thinks the Champions League success is a good reminder to the squad of how they can win trophies even in tough circumstances.

“I still think it’s given us an ‘everything’s possible’ approach,” she explained. “We know that facing Barcelona in the final was a hard game – they won back-to-back European titles – so being able to do what we did was a great achievement. We proved to ourselves that everything is possible.

“Even if we don’t mention the silverware, the legacy from that game is really our mindset. We want to learn how we train and how we show up every day to put ourselves in a position where we can win it again.”

Maanum committed herself to the club earlier this year, signing a new contract in May.

And she has never doubted that decision, she says.

“I really believe in this team, in this project, and it’s definitely the right place for me to be. I develop every day in training and in games. I become a better player, a better team-mate and, most importantly, a better person. If you find all that in a club, it’s not somewhere you want to leave.”