Arsenal star Leah Williamson admits she had a huge choice to make when tasked with choosing her football allegiance.
The Lionesses captain found herself in the unenviable position of having to follow mum or dad’s club – which happened to be Arsenal and Tottenham.
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Stuck in the middle of the North London division and with her father desperate to side with her, Williamson was given the opportunity to sample both clubs before making her final decision.
“My dad is Spurs, my mum is Arsenal, so I had a choice,” she told BBC’s The One Show.
“My dad took me to my first game which was a Spurs game and then I went with my mum to Arsenal. Obviously I chose well.
Williamson then joined Arsenal’s Center of Excellence in 2006, aged just nine. The long road to the first team came to fruition when, at the age of 17, she made her debut for the club in a Champions League quarter-final against Birmingham City.
Williamson, a Premier League winner and two-time FA Cup winner, has become a legend for both club and country.
Before this weekend’s clash, she was asked how the family dynamic works on derby day, to which the star simply replied: “It doesn’t.”
Williamson recently made her long-awaited return after an ACL injury that kept her out of last year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The 27-year-old has made six appearances this season as Arsenal maintain their slim hopes of pipping Man City and Chelsea to the WSL title.
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The defender will already have one eye on next season’s title race as well as England’s quest for Euro 2025 glory following the Lionesses’ miraculous triumph in 2022.
But for now the focus is on the Arsenal women’s and men’s teams in what is a crucial weekend for both.
Williamson travels to Everton on Sunday at 12.30pm for a WSL clash before attention turns to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where Mikel Arteta’s side face a crucial clash which will go a long way to determining the destination of the Premier League title this season.
Williamson will not be home to watch Sunday’s derby but hopes family tensions can be kept to a minimum in his absence.
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