Sarina Wiegman details message from dying sister before leading England to Euros

04 November 2023 , 13:18

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Sarina Wiegman has revealed a message from her late sister prior to her death (Image: PA)

Sarina Wiegman has shared that her sister urged her to "seize" European Championships glory with England in the lead-up to the tournament, just before she sadly passed away from cancer.

Wiegman took a break from training last summer to be with her sister, Diana, in the Netherlands. After England's victory over Germany in the final, Sarina kissed a bracelet that had belonged to her late sister.

She told The Times: "(It was) the saddest moment of my life she was my best friend. In the Euros you park it. And afterwards, then you get hit a little bit. She had told me to seize this prize, and I had just done so. I was still calm, not emotional. The only thing I felt was a deep connection with my sister."

"She said 'I'll sit by the post or on the crossbar. I will help a little bit.' So she was there all the time. It's still very fresh. The missing part is just a big gap now." Diana was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the summer of 2021 and died three weeks before the start of Euro 2022.

"We celebrated life every day," said Wiegman. "It was so quick, but it was very special too. We had moments to treasure together." Wiegman's success with England, including a run to the World Cup final this summer, has led to speculation she could succeed Gareth Southgate as head coach of the men's team.

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She shared her thoughts on women coaching men, saying: "Would women be capable of coaching men? Of course. But I don't have a goal that I want to coach men." Discussing the pressure of being England men's boss, she added: "Every step you take, you're being watched and you're being valued and judged, and I sometimes wonder: how much fun is that?"

Despite earning less than Southgate, she praised the Football Association for its support of women's football. "I'm very happy with how they treat me, how they make everything possible to perform at the highest level, and how also they're working with the team to get that equal pay," she expressed.

She concluded by saying: "I'm happy in my situation and I feel treated very equally. And I never make my choices based on money, or I would never have started coaching."

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Darren Wells