Vivianne Miedema has set her sights on Champions League glory with Arsenal after firing them to a first Women’s Super League title in seven years.
Prolific striker Miedema was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year on Sunday evening, just hours after the Gunners were crowned champions at Brighton.
The in-form Holland international is the division’s top scorer having hit 22 goals in only 19 appearances this season.
🕞 12.21pm: Opens the scoring in our title-clinching win over @OfficialBHAFC🕚 10:50pm: Named @PFA Players’ Player of the Year for 2019 #JustMiedemaThings 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/pbLg69sH2f— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) April 28, 2019
And the 22-year-old is now keen to taste European success with Joe Montemurro’s side.
“We’ve had quite a hard period after the 2012 title. There’s a lot been going on at the club but we found a way back upwards again,” she said.
“We showed that this year with winning the league.
“I want to win the Champions League and I would love to win the Champions League with Arsenal.”
Arsenal, the only English club to have won the Champions League following their 2007 triumph, clinched the domestic title in front of a record WSL attendance on Sunday.
A crowd of 5,265 turned out for their game against Hope Powell’s Brighton at the Amex Stadium, with Miedema claiming a stunning opener in a thumping 4-0 win.
She also laid on the second goal for Katie McCabe to make it 11 assists this term.
NEW RECORD! 📚— The FA Women's Super League (@FAWSL) April 28, 2019
Former Bayern Munich player Miedema is three goals ahead of Manchester City forward Nikita Parris going into the final round of matches and feels claiming the golden boot would equal her other achievements to cap a remarkable season.
“(It would be) just the same as the award and winning the league,” said Miedema, who is preparing to represent her country at this summer’s World Cup in France.
“I’m just happy that I could help the team and I’m happy I stayed fit this year and I got in form again.
“I’m just really happy with winning the league and providing the goals for the team. I am a number nine so I do need to score the goals.”
Our seven-year wait is finally over…— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) April 28, 2019
Arsenal coach Montemurro, appointed in November 2017, shares Miedema’s ambition of turning the London club into a major force on the European stage.
The Australian believes the title success will be the start of an “amazing journey” for the Gunners.
“The first thing I thought was, ‘How can we improve on this?’ The Champions League is the big one and we want to be up there in the upper echelons of European football,” Montemurro told arsenal.com.
“We need to be at the best against the best, winning leagues every year. We need to improve because women’s football is improving.
“We’ve got different challenges, bigger challenges next year and we’re just growing.
“This achievement is the first step to what I believe is going to be an amazing journey for the Arsenal Women team.”
