If Sarina Wiegman noticed anything after winning the European Championship with the English women, it was how proud the British were of this achievement. The Lionesses were showered with praise and also received a special letter in the following days from Queen Elizabeth..
The British monarch, who had also sent a message to the team before the European Championship, congratulated the players and staff on winning the title. “Those words of hers made it extra beautiful, also because she died shortly afterwards,” says Wiegman. “How great she was in this land, how long she was queen. She was such a role model for those girls. Very impressive.”
But it was not only in the palace that they had been proud. Wiegman is also regularly addressed about the European Championship on the street in England. “They are so proud here that we became champions. People come to me to thank me. Once I arrived at Heathrow, a very large security guard was watching me. So I thought, oh dear. I also happened to have bought something that I had with me in a plastic bag. ‘What have you got there?’ he asked. So I told them what was in the bag. ‘Where are you from?’ After I answered again he looked at me and said: ‘Congratulations, thank you for making us happy.’ That man got me good. Very funny,” she added.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award
The English have a lot of respect for top athletes, she notes, “In the Netherlands there is an atmosphere of: just act normal, then you are already acting crazy enough. Here I’ve been put on a pedestal so much that it sometimes makes me uncomfortable.”
All the compliments also earned Wiegman a tangible prize last week. On December 21, The Hague was elected Coach of the year in the United Kingdom. This BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award was previously won by trainers such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger and Jürgen Klopp. Wiegman is the first woman to win the prize.
