Vivianne Miedema

Early life Born and raised in Hoogeveen, Miedema grew up watching her father play football and at five years old began playing herself for HZVV in her hometown. She was a frequent goalscorer from a very young age and played on boys' teams. After several years of playing for HZVV, she joined VV De Weide in 2009 and stayed with them until 2011. At age 14, Miedema was forced to make the decision to continue playing with boys' clubs where she was used to beating them, or to switch to playing for the women's league.

In 2012–13, playing in the new cross-border BeNe League, she improved her tally to 27 goals in 26 games. Her 41 goals in 26 games for Heerenveen in the 2013–14 BeNe League season earned her the top-scorer award at the age of 17. Her goal tally was 15 more than the nearest player. During the 2014–15 season, she was part of a Bayern team that remained unbeaten in the Bundesliga and won the title for the first time since 1976. Miedema scored her first league goals in Germany on 5 October 2014 in a match against MSV Duisburg, leading to Bayern's 6–0 win. In the match against SGS Essen on 30 November, Miedema tore the outer band of her ankle resulting in some time away from the pitch. She re-emerged in the German league on 22 February 2015 against VfL Wolfsburg, scoring again in the following match, against Bayer Leverkusen. Miedema finished the season with 7 goals in 17 matches. In the 2016–17 Frauen-Bundesliga season, Miedema scored 14 goals in 22 appearances but Bayern were deposed as champions by VfL Wolfsburg. She added eight goals in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League as Bayern reached the quarter-final, in which they were beaten 4–1 on aggregate by Paris Saint-Germain. Miedema was the top scorer of the Champions League season.

2017–2024: Arsenal In May 2017, Miedema moved to English club Arsenal. On 29 October, she scored her first goal in the FA Women's Super League (FA WSL) for Arsenal in the match with Everton in the 23rd minute. During a match against Liverpool, she scored the game-opening goal in the 29th minute and provided the assist to Dominique Janssen's goal in the 49th minute lifting Arsenal to a 3–0 win. Miedema finished the 2017–18 season with 4 goals in the 11 matches she played, including 9 starts. The club also won the 2017–18 FA WSL Cup, with Miedema scoring the game-winning goal of the final, a 1–0 victory over Manchester City.

In the first match of the 2018–19 season, Miedema scored a hat-trick as Arsenal defeated Liverpool 5–0. She brought her goals tally into double-digits with a brace against Bristol City in a 4–0 Arsenal victory. Miedema finished the season as the WSL top scorer with 22 goals and was named PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year. Arsenal finished first in the regular season with a record, Five days later, she was shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or for 2019, in which she placed fifth.

During the 2019–20 season, she scored 16 goals in 14 games. The FA suspended the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, deciding the competition based on points per game. Arsenal finished in third place with a record and played in the 2019–20 FA WSL Cup, where they eventually lost 2–1 to Chelsea during the 2020 FA Women's League Cup Final.

On 18 October 2020, Miedema became the first player to score 50 WSL goals, overtaking the all-time league record of 49 (set by Nikita Parris) when she scored a hat-trick in a 6–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur. On 7 February 2021, Manchester City forward Ellen White became the all-time record goal scorer, having scored 55 times to Miedema's 54. On 7 March, Miedema overtook White again, having scored 56 times. Of Miedema's first 52 WSL goals she scored 34 times with her right foot, 14 with her left, and 4 headers. None of the goals came from a penalty. On average she scored once every 83 minutes, compared to Parris' 171 minutes.

On 9 September 2021, Miedema scored her 100th goal for Arsenal, completing a hattrick in a 4–0 win against Slavia Prague in the Champions League qualifier. Miedema required only 110 games in all competitions to reach this milestone. In November 2021 she became the first player in the history of the WSL to score against every team they have faced, after scoring against Manchester United.

On 20 May 2022 Miedema announced she had extended her contract with Arsenal. She had had talks with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain who had been interested in signing her. She said that winning titles with Arsenal would mean more to her than joining a team that was winning titles already. The lucrative new contract made her the highest-paid female player in England.

On 15 December 2022, Miedema left a UEFA Champions League match against Lyon at halftime with an injury, which on 19 December was confirmed to be an anterior cruciate ligament tear. She was expected to undergo surgery and miss "an extended period of time". She made her first appearance since the injury on 22 October 2023, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 win against Bristol City. She scored her first goal back since injury on 28 January 2024 in the 2–0 win against Liverpool. On 1 March it was announced she needed a minor knee surgery that would prevent her from playing for several weeks. She returned on 21 April in the 3–0 victory over Leicester City.

On 13 May 2024, Arsenal confirmed Miedema would leave the club at the end of the 2023–24 season upon the expiry of her contract.

2024–present: Manchester City On 5 July 2024, it was announced that Miedema had signed for Manchester City on a three-year deal and was assigned the number 6 shirt. She scored her first goal for the club during her debut in a 2024–25 UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Paris FC on 18 September.

Miedema had surgery on her left knee on 30 October, having not played since the club's victory over Barcelona on 9 October. The extent of the injury or how long Miedema will be out, has not been revealed by the club. In Manchester City’s official podcast, Miedema admitted that, despite her experience at the highest level by that point, she went through a difficult period when she joined the club: “The move from London to Manchester was still tough, you get into a routine and feel at home in a certain place and then you need to pack up everything and move." When injury struck again, she began to doubt her career: “I’m not sure if I can do this and still want to do this at my age.”

Following a long period of absence following her knee surgery, Miedema returned to play against Ipswich in the FA cup, scoring a goal to contribute to their 3–0 victory.

During the 2024-25 season, she grabbed 11 goals and 4 assists in 19 games across all competitions, including a "phenomenal finish" in the 4–2 victory over Aston Villa that was awarded Barclays Women’s Super League Goal of the Season.

On 5 August 2025, she switched to the number 10 after the departure of teammate and compatriot Jill Roord.

On 1 February 2026, she scored a header and delivered an assist in the match against Chelsea at Etihad Stadium, helping Manchester City secure a magnificent 5–1 victory and consolidate their 11-point lead at the top of the league, extending their winning streak to 13 matches.

On 26 February 2026, it was announced that Manchester City had exercised a clause in Miedema's contract to extend her time with the club until summer 2027. She scored twice in the space of two minutes during a 3–0 derby win over Manchester United in the WSL on 28 March 2026. After this match, she became the first-ever player in WSL history to score 10+ goals in 5 different seasons. She was part of the Manchester City team which won the 2025–26 Women's Super League title. On 31 May 2026, she scored the last of Manchester City's goals in a 4–0 win over Brighton in the 2026 FA Cup final.

On 8 June 2026, Manchester City officially confirmed that Miedema had undergone a successful knee operation. She will work closely with the medical team over the summer, with a view to returning for pre-season ahead of the 2026/27 season.

International career

Youth In October 2012 Miedema broke the goalscoring record for the Netherlands under-17 football team, when she scored six goals against Montenegro then eight goals against Kazakhstan in the 2013 UEFA Under-17 Championship qualification mini tournament. The eight goals in the 15–0 win over Kazakhstan also set a competition record for goals in a single match, and four more goals in the next match against Ukraine made her the all-time UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship top scorer. She scored a total of 22 goals for the under-17s, in her 11 appearances between October 2011 and October 2012.

On 6 March 2013, Miedema debuted for the Netherlands under-19 football team, starting a 3–1 defeat by Iceland. At the 2014 UEFA Under-19 Championship, she was vital for the Dutch success, her six goals in the tournament guided the Netherlands to their first-ever title in women's football. She scored a hat-trick in the 4–0 semi final win over the Republic of Ireland, and the only goal in the final win over Spain. She was the tournament top scorer by a margin of four goals and also collected the Golden Player awarded by UEFA to the best player of the tournament. Already a senior national team player, she concluded her under-19 national team career with seven goals from 10 appearances. One month later she scored her first goals at the senior international level, a 16-minute hat-trick, in the Netherlands' 7–0 2015 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5 win over Portugal.

In October 2014, Miedema played a key role in the Netherlands' World Cup qualification play-off victory over Scotland. In the first leg at Tynecastle Stadium, her long-range shot was deflected by Scotland goalkeeper Gemma Fay, before Martens converted the rebound. The Dutch were awarded a penalty kick after Miedema was fouled by Frankie Brown inside the box. Manon Melis scored on the penalty kick lifting the Dutch to a 2–1 win ahead of the second leg in Rotterdam.

In the final qualification play-off versus Italy, Miedema scored all of the Dutch goals as the Netherlands won 3–2 on aggregate and advanced to the 2015 FIFA World Cup. She finished as the overall top-scorer in the qualification campaign with 16 goals. Despite being still in her teens, she was widely proclaimed "the most gifted striker in Europe" ahead of the Netherlands' first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup appearance. At the age of 18, her 16 goals during the qualifying tournament matched the previous European record set by Adriana Martín and established Miedema as the seventh-highest goalscorer in the history of UEFA women's national team competitions. Despite the high expectations, a decidedly "off colour" Miedema was unable to replicate her pre-tournament form and failed to score as the Netherlands reached the round of 16 by finishing third in their group, and then lost 2–1 to Japan. She was frustrated by a lack of service which reduced her opportunities to score. Miedema also netted two goals in the final against Denmark, which was enough to secure the first-ever Euro title for the Dutch. After the tournament the whole team was honoured by the Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister of Sport Edith Schippers and made Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau.

On 15 June 2019, Miedema became the all-time top scorer of the Netherlands national team after scoring her 60th goal in a 3–1 win against Cameroon at the 2019 FIFA World Cup in France. She passed the record held by Melis and extended her lead of the men's team's leading scorer, Robin van Persie. In the Netherlands' 2–0 quarter-final victory over Italy, she scored a goal, was named Player of the Match, and led the Dutch team to its first–ever World Cup semi-final. Miedema's performance throughout the tournament was instrumental in leading the Netherlands to the final, where they fell 2–0 to defending champions United States.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo in 2021, Miedema broke the Olympic record by scoring ten goals in four matches. In the quarter-final against the United States, her 100th match for the Netherlands, Miedema scored both Dutch goals in the 2–2 draw. In the penalty shoot-out, US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher saved Miedema's penalty, and the Dutch were eliminated. Miedema missed the next two group stage matches due to a COVID-19 infection. She wore the captain's armband again in the quarter-final match against France, which the Netherlands lost 1–0.

Miedema was unable to participate at the 2023 FIFA World Cup after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament tear in December 2022. In the final match of the UEFA Euro 2025 qualifying, against Norway, she levelled the score ten minutes before the final whistle, thus securing the Dutch a place at the Euros. This match also marked Miedema's first full 90-minute game since 7 December 2022, following her anterior cruciate ligament injury.

On 8 April 2025, Miedema suffered a hamstring injury, during their match against Austria, which resulted in her leaving the pitch 15 minutes after being brought on, putting doubt on whether she will be fit in time for the Euros. Following an extended period out, Miedema made her return on 26 June 2025, in a friendly with Finland ahead of the Euro 2025, and scored two goals. On 5 July 2025, she netted her 100th international goal in a 3–0 victory over Wales in the Dutch team's first match of the Euro 2025, becoming the 19th woman to score hundred international goals.

Style of play Miedema grew up as a Feyenoord supporter and modelled her game on Robin van Persie. Described as intense and a prolific goalscorer, Miedema does not set goalscoring targets for herself. Former Swedish international, Nilla Fischer described Miedema as an intelligent and clever player: "She really tries to go on your blind spot and then make a move when you're not ready." In early 2022 she started playing in midfield rather than in attack. Former Arsenal and England player Ian Wright called her the best striker and the best playmaker in the world at the same time.

Personal life From 2022 to the present, Miedema is in a relationship with England footballer, former Arsenal and as of 2026 current Manchester City teammate Beth Mead. Miedema was previously in a relationship with Scottish footballer and ex-Bayern Munich and Arsenal teammate, Lisa Evans, for six years. Miedema picked up a Scottish accent when she dated Evans.

Her younger brother, Lars, is also a footballer, who as of 2020 was playing for FC Den Bosch. Known for her lack of interest in overtly celebrating her goals, she has made the rare exception such as when she became Netherlands' top scorer in 2019 after her brother insisted she mark the achievement.

Miedema has completed the course and got the UEFA-B coaching licence.

In 2019, Miedema became an ambassador of War Child, a charity supporting children in war zones. In November 2021, Miedema joined the charity movement Common Goal, committing 1% of her salary to community organisations working with young people. Miedema said "I'm lucky to be living my dream and I feel the responsibility to help others live theirs too. I'm excited to join Common Goal and to be able to really scale the impact I can have off the field." In March 2022 she led Common Goal's emergency response to the help victims of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, together with Juventus player Paulo Dybala. In October 2024 she was one of over a hundred women's footballers to sign an open letter to urge FIFA to stop the Saudi Aramco sponsorship, on the grounds of human rights violations.

In September 2022, Miedema opened a Cruyff Court bearing her name in Hoogeveen, on the location where she used to play as a child.

In March 2026, Miedema is undergoing the final stages of completing the UEFA-A licence coaching course, including coaching Manchester City's U14 as part of the course training.

Career statistics

Club

International + Appearances and goals by national team and year National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals

FA Women's Cup runner-up: 2017–18, 2020–21

Manchester City

Women's Super League: 2025–26 Women's FA Cup: 2025–26

Netherlands U19 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship: 2014

Individual UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship Golden Player: 2014 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship top goalscorer: 2014 2019–20 UEFA Women's Championship Silver Boot: 2017 FA Women's Super League Player of the Month: October 2018, December 2019, October 2020 PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year: 2018–19 FA Women's Super League Golden Boot: 2018–19, 2019–20 London Football Awards Women's Player of the Year: 2018–19, 2019–20 PFA Team of the Year: 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22 FWA Women's Footballer of Year: 2019–20 Football Supporters' Association Player of the Year: 2019, 2020, 2021 WSL PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2019–20 Arsenal Player of the Season: 2019–20 FIFA Women's World Cup All-Star Squad: 2019 FIFA FIFPro Women's World11: 2020, 2021 IFFHS Women's World Team: 2020 BBC Women's Footballer of the Year: 2021 Her Football Hub Player of the Year: 2020 FA Women's Super League Goal of the Month: December 2022 Arsenal Player of the Month: December 2022

Orders Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau: 2017

Records

Eredivisie Youngest player: age 15

Most first-half hat-tricks: 2 Most goals in a single season: 22 Most goals in a single game: 6 Most goal involvements in a single game: 10 (6 goals, 4 assists) First player to score against all clubs