Kim Little MBE is a Scottish Midfielder who plays and captains Arsenal Women's team and before retiring in 2021, was vice-captain for Scotland's Women’s team. During her time in football, she has won several trophies with multiple clubs and is considered one of the best players to ever grace the women’s game.
Little was born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland and started playing football from a young age with her Dad and Brother. During her youth, the midfielder played for her secondary school Mintlaw Academy alongside Hibernian girls, which saw her travel all across Europe to places such as Barcelona and Sweden. In a now deleted interview with the Scottish Football Association, Kim Little said "Football gave me opportunities from a young age. Having the chance to travel, to play in different environments and to come up against really good players from all over Europe was fantastic and made me more determined to keep playing."
During her time with Hibernian, Little scored 88 goals in 48 appearances. During the 06/07 season, the scottish side went undefeated in the SWPL, leading them to lift the Championship trophy alongside the Scottish Women’s Cup.
After this, Little attended University of Hertfordshire to study Sports Studies, alongside playing for Arsenal Women, who she joined in March 2008 at just 17 years old. After scoring her debut goal for the club against Chelsea, Vic Akers told reporters:
“Make a note of this kid, she’s going to be a big player.”
In 2010 she scored 47 goals in 36 appearances. This led her to win the FA Women’s Football Awards Player of the Year Award and also lift the league trophy with Arsenal. Later in 2012, she became the WSL’s top goal scorer with 11 goals. She then went on to win the PFA’s Women’s Player of the Year award.
During her first spell with the London side, Little won several trophies with the club such as the Premier League National Division title (08/09, 09/10), FA Women’s Super League title (2011, 2012), FA Cup title (08/09, 10/11, 12/13), Premier League Cup (08/09) and the FA Women’s League Cup (2011, 2022, 2013)
In November of 2014, the midfielder made the move to American side Seattle Reign. This was following former Arsenal coach Laura Harvey, who had departed Arsenal earlier on that year and had made Little the top of her transfer targets.
During her time with Seattle Reign, Kim made 63 appearances and scored 32 goals. She also won two NWSL shield titles with the side in 2014 and 2015 and was a runner up in the NWSL Championship for two seasons (2014, 2015).
In 2015, Little went on loan to Melbourne City. During her time with the Australian side, she made 12 appearances and scored 9 goals. She also became a W-League Grand Final Champion (15/16) and a W-League Season Premier (15/16) before returning to Arsenal, where she has stayed since 2017.
Since returning to Arsenal, she has won one FA Women’s Super League title (18/19) and two FA Women’s League Cups (22/24, 23/24).
The midfielder made her debut for Scotland in 2007 at the age of 16, going on to score her first goal for the country in March of 2008 against Russia.
Although Little missed the 2017 UEFA Euros due to rupturing her Anterior Cruciate Ligament in a training session with Arsenal, she later helped Scotland qualify for the 2019 FIFA World Cup by scoring a crucial goal against Switzerland during a qualification clash.
During her time with Scotland, Kim Little made 140 appearances and scored 50 goals for the side before retiring from international football in 2021.
Little also played for the Great Britain Olympic team, despite great opposition from the Scottish Football Association. Kim spoke out against this opposition, saying:
"I don't see why anyone would want to stop a player from playing at a massive tournament like the Olympics, it's the biggest sporting event ever. If I get the opportunity I'll grab it with both hands – I would definitely play."
The Scottish midfielder was then later called up to the 18 player squad who would play at the 2012 London Olympics, being one of the only two non-English players called up. Great Britain ended up losing 2-0 in the quarter final, resulting in them getting knocked out of the tournament by Canada. During their run at the Olympics, Little provided two assists.
Kim was later called up again for the 2020 Summer Olympics, which ended up being postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19. Team GB again reached the quarter final of the tournament, losing 4-3 to Australia.
In the early months of 2023, Kim Little was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire, also known as MBE, for services to association football.
During Kim’s time in football, she has won countless personal awards such as BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year (2016), FA Women’s Cups Final Player of the Match (2011), NWSL Most Valuable player (2014) and NWSL Golden Boot (2014).
Overall, Kim Little has been and still is a trailblazer for Women’s Football in England and Scotland and is looked up to by many around the world.
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