Katie McCabe has made an 'unbelievable journey' to Champions League glory with Arsenal
McCabe featured for all 90 minutes of the 1-0 win in Lisbon, adding the club game's greatest honour to her achievements at international level such as captaining Ireland to a maiden World Cup appearance and spectacularly scoring the Girls in Green's only goal at the tournament two years ago.
Watching the Dubliner lift the Champions League trophy was a particularly proud moment for her former Raheny United team-mates, including RTÉ soccer analyst Rachel Graham.
Premier League champions Liverpool defied the rain to parade their trophy today while Katie McCabe's Arsenal were welcomed home by 10,000 fans in London after winning the Champions League. pic.twitter.com/1AAoA6hhKn
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) May 26, 2025
The Shelbourne midfielder had been in action herself earlier on Saturday in a 3pm kick-off against Bohemians in the Avenir Sports All-Island Cup so it meant a rush from Dalymount Park over to the nearest TV in order to see how McCabe was getting on in the European final.
And witnessing the 29-year-old's moment of glory with Arsenal brought back a flood of fond memories for former Irish international Graham about her former team-mates journey to the top, which she relayed on this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast.
"It's an unbelievable journey and for me, and for us, her older Raheny team-mates, the likes of Pearl (Slattery, Shelbourne captain) and Noelle (Murray), we always kind of see her as still that little kid who, I won't deny, was a bit of a brat when she was coming through," said Graham.
"It was a bit like 'I can do what I like', and to be fair she backed everything up on the pitch so we kind of let her away with one or two things.
"But we're unbelievably proud of her and she still has a lot of time for everyone back here. Anytime she's home, she's always looking to meet up and we still have our group chat with all our old Raheny team-mates and it was obviously hopping (on Saturday), wishing her the best of luck and congratulations.
"She hasn't replied to anything yet - I don't even know if she's even slept yet - but she definitely will get around to it.
"We're all so proud of her. What a journey and people do forget sometimes that Katie didn't have it easy when she first went over to Arsenal.
"She struggled for a while to get to that level and went to Glasgow on loan for a while. So everything she's got she's worked very hard for. It hasn't always come easy for her.
"She's obviously really naturally talented and gifted but she has worked really hard and even though she was here (in the League of Ireland) and I won't mind saying a bit of a brat, but she always worked so hard.
"She was a really hard worker in training, hard worker on matches so everything she's got, she's really deserved in football."
McCabe won't have too much time to revel in Arsenal's success as the Republic of Ireland return to action with a Women's Nations League fixture against Turkey on Friday (live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, as well as 2fm's Game On).
Whether she will be available to start or not, time will tell. But Graham is keen to see new call-up Erin Healy get some minutes as well as her own Shelbourne team-mate Aoibheann Clancy, either against Turkey or Tuesday's match versus Slovenia.
"They're two players I would love to see. I can't imagine Carla is going to make a whole load of changes from the last couple of XIs she's set out," she said.
"But Katie's probably the question mark at the moment. She's obviously going to be fatigued going into that camp. I think she might be meeting up with them Wednesday so not a whole lot of time to adjust to the time zones or the flights, so we'll see about her on Friday."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland hero keen for third Lions test to be unforgettable
Tadhg Furlong is set on making Saturday's third Test against Australia a memorable one, as it will likely be his last appearance for the British and Irish Lions. Although Furlong hasn't completely dismissed the possibility of a fourth tour, he acknowledges that the Accor Stadium showdown is probably the final chapter in his Lions journey, marked by his nine consecutive Test starts. When reminded that he would be 36 years old for the next tour to New Zealand, the Ireland prop responded: "Just about to turn 37. Could you imagine? 'My motivation is obvious. I'm not going to say I won't….I probably won't play for the Lions again. 'The Lions have been very good to me. They've been very good to my career. You want to play well. 'I'm kind of leaving a lot of that emotional stuff behind, without being clinical about it. You want to give the best version of yourself to it. 'Sometimes the last memory is the lasting memory you have in a jersey. I want it to be a good one.' Only seven other players have made nine successive Test starts and Furlong is the second to reach that mark in the professional era, a startling achievement for a tighthead who will return home as a Lions great. Willie John McBride heads the list with 15. 'It wasn't something I overly thought of or knew about. I just wanted to try to get on tour and play rugby and see where it got me,' Furlong said. 'It's class to be up there. When I was young and you think of Lions, you don't see yourself there to be mentioned in the same breath as them – and I probably feel the same way now.' Furlong's first tour was as a 24-year-old to New Zealand in 2017 and his development as a player in the intervening years has been significant. 'The game has changed, definitely. Rugby was so different back then. You're around the corner, you're just working hard and then the game got into one-out carriers and I found my mould there,' he said. 'Then the game changed to more of a pass and options at the line and that changed my game. At the minute it's changed into a hybrid of all of them at the minute. You try to change your game as the game changes.' The series was won with a game to spare following last Saturday's 29-26 victory in Melbourne, posting the first successful tour since the 2013 visit to Australia. 'It's such a hard thing to do and history tells you that. When you play for the Lions, you understand why, in terms of moulding everyone together and trying to get them on the same track, and the schedule and travel,' Furlong said. 'As an achievement, as a team, there's not a massive body of work. You have eight weeks of work to show for it. It's probably one of the more satisfying achievements that I've been a part of.'
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
‘We've only half the job done' – Athlone's Shauna Brennan targets Champions League progression with tough four-day turnaround
A reward for Wednesday's 4-0 trouncing of Welsh side Cardiff City was another qualifier, also at home, against a more experienced Agram from Croatia, where the winners of that one-legged tie will move into the semi-final stage of the qualification rounds, where likes of Roma and Sparta Prague are already through with a bye. Athlone's players were all making their Champions League debuts against Cardiff and they are keen to extend their European season as far as possible. "It'll definitely be a different challenge on Saturday and we're expecting that. We know that we've only half the job done. Wednesday means nothing without Saturday so that's our focus,' says Athlone's Galway-born Shauna Brennan. "We know they're going to be a new challenge, they're going to be a good side. They've won the Croatian League but we'll look at their key players and we'll be ready for whatever comes at us.' Town's home ground was packed for the Cardiff game and another sell-out is expected for the visit of the Croatians as Brennan says that – despite the gloss of that 4-0 scoreline – the crowd did play a role. 'We haven't had a crowd like that before. It was a record crowd so it was great to see the support from everybody in Athlone to actually sell out the stadium. We were hoping it would be a sell out but obviously that depends on the fans and it was great to see them all come out and they're in blue and black,' she says. "I think it helped us in the first 10 minutes. We hit the ground running and I think the crowd really got behind us to do that and it helped us to win them tackles, the cheers from the crowd. They definitely did help us to get up for the game and be ready.' With a debate within the game overall about recovery and a mandated rest period between games, it's a big ask for the Athlone players – many of whom are part-time – to turn around and play two Champions League ties in four days. "It's tough,' says Brennan, who parked her Gaelic football career with Galway to focus on soccer with Athlone. 'We do have a lot of players that are full-time in Athlone but then there's the likes of myself and some of the other girls that are working or in college. "We stayed up on Wednesday night to get our recovery in and we'll do a light session on Friday night, a walkthrough probably and we'll be ready to go.'
The Journal
4 hours ago
- The Journal
Rhasidat Adeleke out of National Championships in Santry due to 'lingering' injury
RHASIDAT ADELEKE HAS said a recurrence of an old injury has ruled her out of the National Track and Field Championships in Santry this weekend. The 22-year-old is seeking to be fully fit for the World Athletics Championship which begin in Tokyo on 13 September. She withdrew from a Diamond League event in Monaco earlier this month. Hey guys, Unfortunately, I won't be competing at the National championships this weekend. I've attended nationals every year since 2021 & there's nothing like competing in-front of a home crowd. (1/2) — Rhasidat Adeleke (@rhasidatadeleke) July 31, 2025 Advertisement 'Unfortunately, I won't be competing at the National championships this weekend,' Adeleke posted on social media. 'I've attended nationals every year since 2021 & there's nothing like competing in front of a home crowd. 'An injury I had earlier this season has transcended into additional lingering setbacks so I'll be supporting from afar. 'I'll hopefully be back to get some Morton magic next year. I'm forever grateful for all the support. Best of luck to everyone racing.' Written by Ronan Early and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
