We watched eagerly as the Lionesses stormed their way to the 2023 World Cup finals and, although they may not have won, there's no denying that the Lionesses are absolute champions. But, who is the woman at the helm? No, we're not talking about the captain Millie Bright, we're talking about the mastermind behind the team's every move – the manager, Sarina Wiegman.
Here's everything you need to know about the award-winning Lioness manager Sarina Wiegman – the woman responsible for England's first football World Cup final since 1966.
Who is Sarina Wiegman?
Sarina Wiegman was born in The Hague in the Netherlands. She was interested in football from a young age and even cut her hair as short as her twin brother's when she was six years old so that she could play with him in their local football team. How very She's The Man of her!
Fast forward 40 or so years, and - after representing her home country from 1987-2001 and earning 99 caps - she's now the manager of the England Lionesses.
How old is Sarina Wiegman?
Born in October 1969, Sarina is 53 years old.
What is Sarina Wiegman's England salary?
Sarina earns a £400,000 salary for managing the England team. When they won the Euros, she's thought to have received a £200,000 bonus.
What teams has Sarina Wiegman played for?
Sarina's CV is nothing short of impressive. She joined a women's team, KFC 71 in 1987. She started off playing central midfielder before moving to defence. That year, aged just 16 she earned the first of her 99 international caps playing for the Netherlands.
In 1989, she was invited to play and study at the University of North Carolina by former USA Women’s coach, Anson Dorrance. In 1994, she joined Ter Leede, where she won two Dutch championships (2001 and 2003) and one KNVB Cup (2001). In 2003, she retired after becoming pregnant with her second child.
What teams has Sarina Wiegman coached?
In 2003, Sarina began her coaching career with Dutch women's football team ADO Den Haag, before becoming the assistant coach to the Dutch women's national squad in 2014. In 2016, she was promoted to the squad's head coach, becoming the first female to fulfil the position and lead the team to victory in the 2017 UEFA Women's Euros.
In August 2020 it was announced that Sarina would become the first woman to manage to England women's national team.
Through out her coaching career, she's won a number of football accolades including Coach Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards and the title of UEFA Women’s Coach of the Year as well as a CBE in the New Year’s Honours list.
How long has Sarina Wiegman been the Lionesses' manager?
Sarina took over as the Lionesses' new manager in 2021, replacing former Manchester United player Phil Nevile. She thus became the first ever non-British permanent Lionesses manager, and the first woman to fulfil the role.
Since being with the Lionesses, Sarina has helped set a new national record with a 20-0 win over Latvia as well as leading them to their first major victory at the Euro’s last summer.
Is Sarina Wiegman married?
Sarina is married to her partner Marten Glotzbach, who she holidayed with after last summer's Euros win and shared some celebratory pictures with her fans on Instagram.
Marten, who teaches economics and plans football games at Sebroek College in the Netherlands, is also the head coach of the Netherlands Women's national team. He and his wife Sarina used to work together before she took up post as England's manager.
Does Sarina Wiegman have children?
Sarina and Marten have two daughters – Sacha and Lauren. You'll be pleased to hear that both their daughters are interested in football too, with Lauren playing for the youth ADO Den Haag team and Sacha playing for Sports Club Monster.
Who is Sarina Wingman's family?
Sarina's late sister was also a huge football fan and her sister's biggest supporter – she tragically died one month before the Euro's started. After their victory in the 2022 tournament, the manager kissed an armband that formerly belonged to her sister.
She said, 'I'm kissing this little armband that was my sister's. My sister passed away during our prep camps. That's a really big miss, because she's my mate. She would have been here, she went to every game, so she would have been really proud of me, and I was really proud of her too.'