Olivia Smith needed just one moment of brilliance to show why she was once the world’s first £1m women’s footballer on her Women’s Super League debut for Arsenal.
With the European champions trailing 1-0 to newly promoted London City Lionesses at the Emirates, the 21-year-old unleashed a spectacular long-range effort that arrowed into the top corner past goalkeeper Elene Lete.
The strike silenced doubts about her price tag and sparked Arsenal’s comeback in a 4-1 opening-day win.
Smith’s equaliser arrived in the 29th minute — the type of strike she relishes.
“Any time I see an inch of space, I want to go for goal,” she said. “It was a very special moment for me.”
Living Up to the Hype
The Canada international spent just 35 days as the world’s most expensive women’s player before Orlando Pride broke the record with Lizbeth Ovalle’s £1.1m transfer.
But Smith has never been fazed. “The price tag’s a price tag,” she said in pre-season — and on her debut, she showed exactly why Arsenal paid big to prise her from Liverpool.
In just over an hour on the pitch, Smith registered four shots, nine touches in the opposition box, and four attempted dribbles — more than anyone else on the pitch.
“That’s the kind of goal she wants to score,” said BBC pundit Fara Williams. “It was phenomenal. She completely lived up to that £1m price tag.” Former England keeper Rachel Brown-Finnis added: “Eyes, microscope, everything on her. But what a debut.”
A Rising Star
Smith’s talent has long been evident; she made her senior debut for Canada at just 15, lit up League1 Ontario with a Golden Boot-winning season, then starred for Sporting Lisbon before moving to Liverpool in 2023, where she scored seven goals in her first WSL campaign.
“Liverpool would have loved to keep her,” Brown-Finnis noted. “But when Arsenal come calling with that price tag, it’s too difficult.”
Against London City, Arsenal fell behind to Kosovare Asllani’s penalty, but Smith’s wonder strike flipped the momentum and thrilled the 38,000-strong crowd.
Manager Renée Slegers was delighted:
“It was a fantastic individual action. People come to the stands to watch goals like that. We’re very happy to have Olivia with us.”
The Spark Arsenal Needed?
Arsenal may have been crowned European champions last season, but the WSL title has proved elusive since 2019. Chelsea have reigned domestically for six straight years, finishing 12 points ahead of the Gunners last season.
Slegers is under no illusions about expectations: “If you are Arsenal, you want to compete for all trophies. Olivia brings something new to what we did last year. She adds a new layer to our game.”
For Smith, the mission is simple: “I’m hungry, I’m driven, I want to learn, I want to grow, and I want to win things.”
If her debut goal was anything to go by, Arsenal may finally have found the missing spark to end their long wait for the WSL crown.
