sport news Sarina Wiegman has a ruthless streak that may lead England to Euros glory trends now
She may not have the profile of her predecessor, Phil Neville, but the Dutch coach striving to make history with the Lionesses this summer is a proven winner at managerial level. Now Sarina Wiegman is tasked with delivering England a first major trophy since 1966. No pressure then.
Wiegman led Netherlands to victory on home soil at Euro 2017 and her mission is to repeat that feat with England, with six games separating her side from the final at Wembley on July 31.
Born in The Hague in 1969, Wiegman began playing football on the streets with her twin brother. Her country had banned girls from joining boys teams but, undeterred, a young Wiegman cut her hair short so she could play alongside her sibling.
Sarina Wiegman (centre) is tasked with delivering England a first major trophy since 1966
Eventually she was able to join a women's team, HSV Celeritas, and was later called up to the national team at the age of 16.
In 1987, Wiegman joined Kruikelientjes '71 and won her first trophy, the Dutch Cup, but a bigger move was on the horizon. While playing for Netherlands in China, Wiegman met United States coach Anson Dorrance.
An impressed Dorrance invited Wiegman to study and play for the women's team at the University of North Carolina, where he was also head coach. There, Wiegman played alongside some of the best players in US history, including Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly.
'I instantly saw Sarina's level, that's why I recruited her,' Dorrance tells Sportsmail. 'She was classically Dutch, feisty but also a technician. She could trap and pass the ball and her decision-making was very good.
'You could see the sophistication in her game, even as a young player. She came in and did the business. She was a No 10 and orchestra conductor for a front line that included Hamm and Lilly.
Wiegman has admitted her team are one of the favourites to win the Euros this summer
'For all the American glory in women's football, we're not marinaded in the game.
'We're famous for the American mentality, but Sarina was marinaded in the culture of football which is decision-making, technical prowess, tactical sophistication and composure.
'She was wonderful. She always had a smile off the field but on the field the team she played for were ruthless. We're proud and incredibly impressed with what she's done.'
Wiegman spent the rest of her playing career with Ter Leede, winning two league titles and the Dutch Cup, while working as a PE teacher. She also earned 104 caps. Wiegman retired in 2003 following the birth of her second daughter. Three years later, she returned to Ter Leede as manager, winning the double in her first season.
The Dutch coach led the Netherlands to victory on home soil at Euro 2017
Upon the creation of the Women's Eredivisie in 2007, Wiegman left teaching to take a full-time coaching role with ADO Den Haag. But her first year in the role proved difficult, with the club finishing fourth out of six teams.
'She expected from us what she expects from herself,' former player Leonne Stentler tells Sportsmail. 'She was a player always doing everything to get better and some of our
