The Women’s Champions League final has a Dutch touch. Renée Slegers hopes to become the first Dutch coach to win the prestigious tournament with Arsenal on Saturday evening, while Esmee Brugts hopes for her second title in a row with FC Barcelona.
Winning the Champions League final would be the crown on a special season for Slegers. The 36-year-old from Brabant was still assistant to coach Jonas Eidevall in the first group match against Bayern Munich. The painful 5-2 defeat marked the beginning of the end for Eidevall.
After Eidevall’s dismissal last October, Slegers became interim coach. She quickly proved suitable for the role of head coach. When she had won ten of the first eleven matches, Slegers was given a permanent position at Arsenal.
Slegers then led Arsenal to second place in the English league behind national champion Chelsea and wants to end the season well with Champions League victory. Arsenal players Victoria Pelova and Daphne van Domselaar hope to win the Champions League for the first time in their careers.
It would not only be the second time ever that Arsenal Women have won the Champions League since the tournament was founded in 2001, but also the first time that a Dutch coach has taken home the trophy.
In men’s football, Dutch coaches were already successful. Rinus Michels was the first Dutch coach to win the Champions League with Ajax in 1971. Guus Hiddink (PSV, 1988), Johan Cruijff (FC Barcelona, 1992), Louis van Gaal (Ajax, 1995) and Frank Rijkaard (FC Barcelona, 2006) followed in his footsteps.
Brugts already knows at Barcelona what it feels like to receive the most important club prize. Last year she won the final against Olympique Lyonnais in her first season with the Catalan club.
Brugts participated for a few minutes in that final, but can now count on more playing time. The 21-year-old Orange international regularly starts in the base or has a long stint.
If FC Barcelona wins the Champions League for the third year in a row, Brugts will follow in the footsteps of Shanice van de Sanden. She is currently the only Dutch player to have won the Champions League more than once.
The 32-year-old Van de Sanden, who is surprisingly returning to Orange for the Nations League matches against Germany and Scotland, won the trophy three times in a row with Olympique Lyonnais between 2018 and 2020.
In total, five Dutch players have won the Champions League. Lieke Martens preceded Brugts and won against Chelsea with FC Barcelona in 2021. Damaris Egurrola and Daniëlle van de Donk were on the bench at Olympique Lyonnais in 2022, which won the final against Barça.
The Champions League final between Arsenal and FC Barcelona starts on Saturday at 6 p.m. The match will be played at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon.